Strength beyond our own

I shared in yesterday's post that I went and spoke at a camp for teenage girls in my church this week (remember? Before coming home to a chewed-up shoe? I'm not still bitter...).

It was a powerful experience that I feel I want to share.

I was invited to speak about Divine Identity, and they gave me months to prepare. I was excited to participate, both because of the topic, and because of the girls. I adore both. 

In the weeks and months leading up to it, I had several ideas come to mind that I wanted to share -- some even with accompanying cute handouts, props, etc. I was ready.

The day of the event came, and I drove the 3 hours to their camp location -- notecards and props ready to go. As I approached the property, I had a distinct feeling that the talk I had planned was not going to be the talk I would deliver. 

I didn't exactly love this feeling. 

I went inside, said hello to everyone, and we started eating dinner. I looked around the room at these amazing girls and their leaders, and just had the biggest wave of love come over me. 

Then a pit in my stomach followed as a worried thought came to mind. What the heck was I going to say to these people in just a couple of hours??

 Dinner ended, and it was time for the girls to have a bit of free time before the evening activities. I escaped to my car and went for a little drive around the camp. Then I parked next to the farthest cabin (you know, so no one could see me panic-scribbling on new notecards) and started praying. 

"Heavenly Father... please help me. I have no idea what You want me to say." 

Peace came, along with the assuring thought that I would know exactly what to say. 

I thought this meant that I'd know before it was my turn to speak, but God clearly had a different idea in mind. I joined for the little evening activities, hoping for some sparks of inspiration.

Nope.

The activities wrapped up, and the girls all gathered in their camping chairs around a pavilion next to a lake. Peaceful music was playing, and I sat in the back and scrolled through my favorite quotes I had gathered, wondering if I was supposed to focus on one of those. Thunder rolled in the distance, and I thought, "Oh good! Maybe I'm off the hook and this is why I felt what I did."

Also nope.

Yet again, the assurance came that I would know what to say.

Then it was my turn.

I walked to the front of the pavilion with my bag of props and my notecards, just in case no other thoughts came. 

I did go ahead and open with the props as originally planned. I paused and put the notecards down. By then it was totally dark and I couldn't see what was on them, anyway. 

Then the coolest thing happened. 

I opened my mouth and the words just poured out. As promised, I knew exactly what to say. 

I shared an experience from almost 10 years ago that I had been thinking and writing a lot about earlier that week, as part of another project I'm working on. It was clear that I had been prepared to share it with the girls without even knowing it. 

I testified of who they are as literal daughters of God, and what that meant for their potential and privileges.

I shared my personal witness of Jesus Christ, and how He is always there to support our struggles and our growth. 

I challenged them to walk with confidence in their divine identity, just as if they had a special clearance badge that gave them access to whatever they wanted and worked for in life. This truth that we are literal children of God is that credential. Because of Jesus Christ, this is possible.

After the talk, 1 girl in particular came up to me, sobbing. She thanked me several times and said how much she needed to hear the story I shared. I spoke with another girl who tearfully told me that she had been really struggling with something and now felt peace about it. Another, with more behind her eyes than what she expressed vocally, pulled me aside and said, "I liked it. Thank you." 

This was not me. It was God, meeting these beautiful girls in their time of need. I was just lucky to have a front-row seat.

If I had shared the message I had originally planned, these girls might have been uplifted and entertained, but they wouldn't have heard what their hearts actually needed. 

I'm grateful for a loving God who knows us so well and guides us in supporting each other. I'm grateful to know the voice of the Spirit inviting me to scrap my plans and say yes to something bigger. I'm grateful for the ultimate example of my Savior and friend, Jesus Christ, in accepting the will of the Father. I'm grateful for strength beyond my own, that takes the simple crumbs that I can offer and turns them into beautiful miracles. 

This stuff is real. I can't explain how, but I know it is, without a doubt (and I have tried doubting it). God knows us and loves us infinitely. He's there for us, whether we're aware or not. We are here to grow, and He is here to help us.

Wherever you are in your relationship with Him, I hope you see this experience as a real-life example of who He is, how He works, and how much He truly cares about you.