in a fight not physical

This week was filled with so many fights that weren't physical...and some that were. But mostly spiritual battles that raged around us from every side. From busing, to disobedient children, to the water cistern, to lack of sleep, Satan was working overtime this past week.

It started out on Monday with a call from my bus driver for the Gcastle/Wboro bus in the afternoon during our leadership team meeting. She told me she couldn't drive at all this week because her sons were coming in from Hawaii. I thought ok God you need to provide. She called back later saying that she felt bad leaving me hanging and although she definitely couldn't drive on Monday, she would drive the rest of the afternoons. Then it was the next morning when I got a call that they couldn't get the bus to start for that same route. So as I was praying and calling parents to let them know that the bus would be 20-30 mins late, all I could think was this week can't get worse with busing...well I was wrong. Wednesday morning my bus rider for the Chambersburg bus called and said the bus driver hadn't shown up yet. I called his cell phone quickly to find out that he had forgotten and would be late to pick up the kids. The next morning I got a call from the same lady that had cancelled earlier and then came through for me, saying the bus was too hot and she refused to drive it anymore...leaving me with two afternoons to scramble to find a bus driver for. When she told me this all I said was "ok thanks for letting me know. Have a great day." I couldn't believe all that had gone wrong in this one week, when I had no issues whatsoever the rest of the summer. This was clearly Satan at work...and I was ready to fight back.

Then on Thursday we noticed some water bubbling up around the water cistern...we thought that it was just water from the top draining off....turns out that a pipe had broken. We figured this out on Friday after turning the water off and noticing that the bubbling stopped. Thank goodness for a few great men who pitched in and helped to dig and fix the pipe within less than 8 hrs.

My next obstacle this week was the day campers disobedience. I have never had to discipline so many children in one week, and break up so many fights. My staff was tired, and it showed. I had to have a talk with them after a terrible wacky water Thursday, with boys who were out of control.

I myself, have never felt more tired in my life. I can feel my energy draining and my voice checking out for the summer. It would be so easy for me to check out emotionally and mentally going into this next week, but I can't bring myself to do it.

The kids from last week, once again have captured my heart. They have each found a place within my heart and I am broken to let them go home not knowing if I will see them again...or knowing what some of them are going home to. I love them so much. I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the whole wide world. I know that God has called me here for a reason this summer, and if it is not for anything else, it is for me to love on these kids, and love on my staff.

This week I clung to Galatians 6:9 and Philippians 3:12-16.

Galatians says, "Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up."

And Philippians states,

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained."

So I press on in this last week, and I refuse to become weary in doing good. I will forget all the struggles of last week, and push towards the good coming in this next week. I will live in a mature way, and strain to reach God's goal for my life. Will it be easy, not in the least, but it will be worth it in the end. So I'm in a fight not physical, I'm in a war not with this world, But Jesus is the light that's beautiful, and I want all that he has for me!