Week 8: SHOE LACES

Ever had a dream, but didn’t remember it until you’re in the middle of doing something, and it clicks?  “Oh yeah… something about this is familiar.”  Two weeks ago, this happened to me.  I (Kevin) was tying my shoes, and suddenly remembered a dream I had the night before.  It wasn’t so much a dream really, more of an element from a dream.  I could see my shoe laces were loosened… a lot.  It’s one of those elements that I could have looked right past, except for the force by which it came to my memory as I was tying my shoes to prepare for the new day. 

“For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”  Ephesians 6:15

God was up to something.  In what way had I allowed the ‘preparation of the gospel of peace’ to grow lax?  In case you didn’t know, I LOVE Jesus!  And I love to tell others about Him.  But in not-so-subtle ways, I was intimidated by strangers two separate times over a one-week period at the end of last year.  And my inclination to look for opportunities to share Jesus dwindled.  I began to fear things as if I had been in a traumatic event; the unknown sound of rustling outside in the night would suddenly frighten me.  I recognized it was not normal.  But the fear didn’t go away overnight.  My new favorite passage became the Lord’s charge to Joshua at the beginning of his leadership journey: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

A few days after my dream of the shoe laces, I was in church.  Our pastor spoke on not shrinking back from intimidation, but pressing in to shine our light: “I am in the hands of my God.  I will not be discouraged.  I will not be intimidated.  No, I will walk in the boldness and authority he has called me to walk in!”  The truth of His word from the previous weeks came together with the breath of His spirit, and He did a work of freedom inside of me – praise God!  A renewed desire to look for opportunities to share my faith took hold of me.  A desire to keep preparing, to tie up my shoe laces, and to keep my eyes on the vision of taking the promised land.  I say, like Caleb, “Let’s go at once to take the land… We can certainly conquer it!”  Numbers 13:30.

Special Focus:  Pray with us for strength and courage to resist fear and discouragement.  (1 Chronicles 28:20).  And please pray that He would continue to prepare us for the Good News we will get to share in and through Camp Refuge!