Walk With Purpose

(Pictured: The 2019 Full-Time Staff just before the summer began!)

Hello, everyone! It’s about that time again, so I get to share another blog with all of you! I hope all of you are doing well. :)

Before I get started, I just wanted to give you guys a couple of reminders again! The Father-Son Retreat is next weekend!! Also, H@TS is getting closer with each passing day! You can register for either event right here!

Also, if you haven’t already, please take some time to fill out the 5 Year Plan Strategy Survey. It’s very important that we get as much feedback as possible. Thank you so much in advance for your answers!

Okay, now we can get right into this week’s blog. :)

This past week or so, I’ve been thinking a lot about the purpose of life, and the purpose God has for putting all of us here. So many people in the world, including us before God called us out of the world, go through life with no purpose. They search for meaning, but they don’t find it- they waste time chasing a feeling of contentment that fades away all too quickly. But that’s not the kind of life the Lord intended for us to live.

I recently read a study by Belle Beth Cooper about how living a life without meaning can make you sick. Cooper talks about how for many people, especially Americans, life is a constant pursuit of happiness. However, this pursuit of happiness, coupled with a lack of meaning in one’s life, can actually prove to have the opposite effect, according to another study done by Todd Kashdan. Cooper’s article goes on to say that a prolonged pursuit of shallow happiness can actually lead to health issues. To summarize what she writes, chasing artificial happiness can actually make our bodies more vulnerable to things like bacterial infections.

Crazy, right? Even the science backs it up- we as humans are supposed to have a life with a clear cut meaning behind it. By the grace of God, we have a purpose- a very specific reason for existing. Matthew 28 reads,

“Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.””

This specific purpose that has been given to us is part of what makes Camp so encouraging to me. Camp Swamp has played a huge role in helping me become a disciple, and I know the same is true for lots of other people, and will continue to be true for kids who haven’t been yet.

If Camp Swamp wasn’t a place that strives to be the safest place on the planet for us besides our home, it wouldn’t be nearly as effective. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to support Camp Swamp and its mission.

That’s all for me this week! As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read the blog. I’ll be praying for all of you to have a safe and encouraging week!

Much Love,

Bri