Reflect the Son

This summer, I was selected to serve as a Cabin Leader at WorldSong Missions Adventure Camp. Of course, the summer didn’t turn out as planned — for me or for anyone — and lots of things changed.

Eventually, WorldSong settled on a plan for WorldSong Together, a virtual version of camp, so my fellow camp staff members and I spent two weeks at WorldSong Missions Place preparing and providing camp for those who signed up.

I was so very excited to be able to go to WorldSong and serve as a Cabin Leader, even if it meant interacting with campers virtually and even if almost everything was going to be different than previous years.

But when I got there and fully realized the changes and challenges I was going to face, I began to worry and fear for what was to come. At times, I would be overcome by anxieties for the success of virtual camp, longing for the routine of being home with my family every day and fear of my own inadequacies as a 16-year-old who had never done anything like this before.

One night, my mom texted me and told me to look out for the International Space Station in the night sky. It was supposed to be visible for about six minutes that night and she wanted me to be able to see it.

“And it doesn’t make light,” she said. “It only reflects the sun. That’s how I want to be — reflecting the Son.”

At the time I rolled my eyes at the pun, laughing at the word play, but when I saw the ISS that night, moving so much faster than I expected and glowing brighter than any star, those words came back to me.

It wasn’t me that those virtual campers needed to see, it was Jesus. My anxieties and shortcomings didn’t matter. All that was important was that I showed them God’s love and the sacrifice He made for them.

There was no magical “quick fix” for the worry and fear I was facing every day, but there were other things to focus on.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” This verse, as well as others like Romans 15:13 and Proverbs 3:5­–6, gave me strength, courage and hope for the rest of camp.

As I read these words and prayed to a God who is stronger and braver and more knowledgeable than me, I knew that everything would be okay.

I could focus on the fun the campers and Cabin Leaders were having, and let God handle all the worry.

Even when I can’t, Jesus can.


Stella McWhorter is this week’s guest contributor to The Rope. Stella is a senior at Cleburne County High School in Heflin, Alabama. She is a member of Beulah Baptist Church, Muscadine. She is a gymnastics instructor and Alabama 4-H ambassador, as well as a member of several organizations at her school.

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