After CampSample

It’s been a few days since you’ve been home from your trip, and you’re probably settling back into “normal life” by now. The problem is that normal life = the way life was before your camp or retreat. Maybe you’ve started school again and are already hanging out with people you know you shouldn’t be.. Or maybe you’re back at home and already fighting with your parents, stepparents, or siblings. 

You may even be thinking about your retreat and how much easier it was to focus on God when you were away from all of these crazy distractions. If that’s you, don’t worry, you’re totally normal. Even with a plan, it’s not always easy to take things that you learned while you were away and apply them to your real life back at home. And even if you can apply them to your life, it’s not unusual for things to go wrong or get off-track at some point. And you know what? That’s okay. 

If you’ve already messed up or are having a tough time applying what you learned, that’s okay. That’s why you have a plan. Plans aren’t just for perfect people or perfect situations, and plans don’t guarantee that everything will go smoothly once you get the hang of it. No, plans are there to help remind you of your goal and what you’re doing to get there—especially when things start to go sideways. 

Even if you made the greatest plan with the best of intentions, it’s always good to remind yourself that you can’t plan for everything. But the greatest thing is, God is there for you no matter what. And when things go wrong, He wants you to invite Him to jump in and be there for you and with you—just like He always is (Read Psalm 34:17-18). 

Today, look at your plan, and see if there are any changes you need to make. Then, set aside a time to pray—could be now or could be later—and ask God to help you stick with your plan and remind you that you are loved and that He is with you, no matter what.