This past summer Leigh, Grace and I went to a reformed summer camp called Cran-Hill Ranch for a week. This is Grace's 3rd year going & me and Leigh's 4th. In addition to doing many activities like archery, high ropes courses, horseback riding, riflery, swimming, tubing, and tie dye, we spend a lot of time strengthening our relationship with God. Each year, there is a different theme that the daily sermons are based off of. This year's was "Mighty To Save". Each day of camp, we gather together and worship our Heavenly Father. After spending some time singing beautiful songs, the chaplain of the week reads scripture and explains it in an understandable way. Listening to the words of our chaplain lit a fire in my heart. One of the stories our chaplain told this year was about a small family. It takes place if Africa back when there was a lot of killing going on. So one day, a soldier came to a woman's home and killed her husband and son right in front of her. Later this man was brought to justice. He was found guilty, and right when he was about to be taken out of the court, the judge asked the woman if she had any last requests. She said yes and responded be saying that everything was ok and she agreed, but only if she could visit this man every day and also she wanted him to be able to join her for supper at her house once a week. The man was so overwhelmed by this woman's undeserving love for him, that he fainted. Our chaplain, Todd, said this is similar to the love God has for each and every one of us. We wretches hurt Him every day in horrible ways. Even though we don't deserve it, God responds by embracing us with this unbelievable love. It's amazing. Compared to him, we are so worthless; so tiny. He looks past all our flaws and imperfections and says "I love you so much, that I'm gonna send my holy son to die for you." That just blows my mind. It seems impossible that He can love us SO much, but he does. We owe everything to Jesus; he paid for all our sins. We should spend our lives thanking and praising him for his amazing grace. Often times we ask God to do this, or help us with that, but how often do we thank him for all the tiny things we take for granted? Like the sunshine that warms our hearts, the rain that waters the earth, the air that we breathe, the food we eat, the roof over our heads. God is huge. He and His love are bigger than everything we humans could even begin to fathom. Our God is bigger, our God is stronger. There's nothing you can compare him to. That makes my heart burst with love and joy. The daily things we do should be because we love Jesus and want to be like him, not because we should or because it's our duty. So, I like to remember what the little chores I complain about are nothing compared the things God did.

"Above all else, I want to be with you, Jesus." -Todd

"And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, and come with him into the presence of god the Father to give him your thanks." Colossians 3:17