Do you remember your first school camp? The excitement of getting away and having a little independence, the fun of spending time with friends without needing to go home, and all the activities that make camp so memorable. There is so much to look forward to on school camp. However, camp can also be challenging for students. The busyness and excitement can leave them tired, which can sometimes make it easier to grumble than to be thankful.
The Year 7 students depart for their first high school camp this week, and the theme for their camp is “Attitude of Gratitude”. The students are encouraged to look for things to be thankful for throughout the camp and to be grateful for all the amazing blessings that our God gives us each and every day. In Colossians 2:6-7, it says: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”.
It can be so easy to focus on the things in life that get us down. However, when we intentionally look for God’s hand in our lives, we can usually find many reasons to be thankful. There is an old hymn that captures this beautifully. The first verse says:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
May we all learn to count God’s blessings in our lives everyday so we can overflow with thankfulness at His goodness to us.
Brayden Hargrave
