June 26, 2000
FAMILY MATTERS:
Why didn't God talk to me at camp?
___We just got back from youth camp, and everyone in my youth group had this big spiritual experience. They talk about how God spoke to them through their Bible study/cell-groups and in the worship services. Why didn't God talk to me?
DEBBIE CHISOLM
Minister to students
Royal Lane Baptist Church, Dallas
___There's no way for me to know why you didn't experience the same kind of camp that your friends did, but I can understand the feeling you get when you think that God is talking to everyone else but you. Although I can't answer your question specifically, I can share with you what I've learned about "spiritual experiences" in general.
___ God wants to have a personal and intimate relationship with us. We can look throughout Scripture and history to see that God wants to communicate with us. That happens in a lot of different ways. For some people it's a burning bush, and for others it a whisper in a cave. Some people can hear God best through music and worship and some in stillness and silence.
___I was reading a book by Sue Monk Kidd titled "God's Joyful Surprise," and one of my favorite chapters in the book was "God Lives on Oak Street. It reminded me that you don't have to go to a monastery or a worship service or youth camp to find God, because God lives on Oak Street! God lives on your street.
___ Want to know a secret? I've been taking teenagers to camp for over 20 years, and I have found that sometimes the spiritual experiences of camp are sometimes centered more on emotionalism and friendships than on God. Don't get me wrong; I'm not in any way saying that what your friends experienced wasn't real. I'm just saying that sometimes camp experiences fade when you return to the "real" world.
___ Bottom line is this--camp is over, and there's nothing you can do to change what didn't happen there, but today isn't over yet.
___ Tell God you want to talk for a little bit. Go for a walk, find a quiet place, put on some music, write in your journal, go somewhere where you can be alone with God. Talk. Listen. Laugh. Enjoy his company.
___ Sometimes when I can't hear God's voice and I can't seem to find him in Bible study and worship, I do something that may sound pretty silly, but it always helps me. I walk around my neighborhood, and I play a game with God. We play hide and seek. I close my eyes and count to 20, and then I begin my search. I look for God in the trees, in the light of fireflies, in the stars, in the wind and the light the shines through opened windows. I look for God in my thoughts and my feelings.
___ Guess what? I always win. I always end up finding him. (I think God cheats. I think he lets me find him).
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