A change in mindset

A sense of excitement filled the air as the girls arrived at the Van Buren Baptist Camp for their first children’s church camp experience. The thought of a week full of playing, learning, and hanging out with their friends added to their already energized minds. As semi-overprotective parents, Leona and I were filled with both excitement for the girls and a bit of angst considering the girls would be away for five days. Overcoming our own concerns, my wife and I began prepping the girls weeks prior with stories of the adventures we experienced at camp when we were kids. Our stories, along with the necessary trip to get new camp clothes, seemed to fuel the girls’ readiness to break free and live the camp life for a time.

As the girls got registered and made their way to their dorm room, I could see the energy continue to build. The smile on both girls’ faces brought joy to my heart. As they began interacting with their friends, making their beds, and generally getting a feel for the lay of the land, I became more and more at ease. As I turned my attention to getting their mother all set up in her cabin, I gave the girls very little thought. A short time later, while speaking to my wife, I learned that some of the rules had changed since we received the written guidelines, and I would need to run to the store and grab some additional items.

I began walking to my vehicle when I caught a glimpse of Riyann walking up to me. As any parent knows, you can tell when your child is upset, and she was showing signs of not being happy. I asked the child why she changed her shirt, and she abruptly began telling me how they changed the rules and she had to change. For anyone with girl children, like mine, this in itself was a major setback considering all the thought and preparations which went int choosing the perfect outfit. She voiced her anger over the silliness of the rule change. I sensed the child had totally transitioned from joy and happiness to anger and disappointment. As she went on about her frustration, I simply raised my hand and said hold on. I explained that sometimes rules change and that’s alright, we just need to flow with it, keeping a good attitude. We then spoke about how it was going to be OK and how we can’t allow our circumstance to dictate our outcomes.

As the child ran off, I hoped she could overcome her disappointment and have a good experience. As I continued my daily duties, I thought about the circumstance often and how in life we face moments when circumstances change and we can many times be left with anger, frustration and sometimes sorrow for what was and what the future holds. The key, in my opinion, is that we refuse to allow those circumstances to overtake us and steal our joy.

Two hours or so later, I saw Riyann again. The smile had returned to her face, and with friends in tow, she ran to the next adventure with joy and excitement. Don’t allow circumstances to bring you down my friends. Life is all about perseverance and our ability to focus on the important thing...our happiness.