26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stony heart from your body and replace it with a living one, 27 and I will give you my spirit so that you may walk according to my regulations and carefully observe my case laws. 28 Then you will live in the land that I gave to your ancestors, you will be my people, and I will be your God.
Reflection
When you go to a special place like Wanakee, it’s so easy to take a scripture like this to heart and really feel it. Wanakee feels like this is a special place created just for you, and those who go are easily accepted into God’s love no matter where they come from. It’s so easy to let your lungs be filled with the fresh mountain air that feels like breathing in the Holy Spirit. It’s so easy to let the stone fall away from your heart to feel God’s warm embrace. Wanakee is this sacred space for many generations of campers and staff because it is the place where we’ve been able to explore faith in an open and honest way among a community of young people with journeys that included similar pitfalls and stumbles. It’s a safe place to bring our broken selves and be healed by laughter, tears, silliness, and faithfulness.
The real question for us is, how do we get these feelings when we leave camp? For many of us, Wanakee is our church. We’ve struggled to feel that same refreshment anywhere else. I don’t have a good answer because the answer for me is probably not the same answer for someone else.
Is there anywhere for you that feels sacred like Wanakee does for me? Maybe it’s not a place, but a relationship. Where is the space that fills your lungs with the Holy Spirit? Who is the person you feel safe with letting the stone fall away from your heart to feel the embrace of God’s love? Maybe today is a good day to take an extra moment to appreciate that space, or to reflect on your life and make sure you have some space like that.
by Ashley Bowler
For Pondering and Prayer
Prayer: Dear Lord, life is tough and we have no choice but to harden our hearts for our own protection. Our lungs yearn for the fresh air of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts wish to break free of their stony armor. Guide us to our own sacred space where we can breathe in the fresh air and feel the love of Your embrace. Amen.
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