God Was Already Preparing Our Hearts

There are moments in life that, looking back, you realize God was preparing you long before you understood why.

As I walked into Church Group Time that evening at camp, I had no idea it would be my last night leading those precious children before our little classroom family changed forever.

Throughout the week, every lesson had been building on the one before it.

The first night, we learned that God is the Author of All Things. He created everything. He knows everything. And because He is the Author, nothing happens outside of His sovereign plan.

The second night, we learned that God is the Author of Salvation. We cannot earn salvation. It is God’s gracious gift to us through Jesus Christ.

The third night, we learned that God is the Author of Truth. His Word is true. His promises are true. Jesus Himself is the Truth, and His truth never changes, no matter how uncertain life may feel.

Then came our final night.

God is the Author of Joy.

We talked about how real joy doesn’t come from our circumstances. It comes from staying connected to Jesus. Just as a branch must remain connected to the vine in order to live and bear fruit, we must remain connected to Christ.

Life changes.

Plans change.

Our circumstances change.

We experience disappointment.

We experience grief.

But Jesus never changes.

At the time, I thought I was simply teaching another Bible lesson.

I had no idea those truths would become the very truths I would need to cling to myself.

When Church Group Time ended, I hugged our campers goodbye and began the drive home. I wanted to be back with the rest of our second graders, the children who hadn’t been able to come to camp. The next morning, I would be teaching Life Group and leading Kids Praise, and I couldn’t wait to share everything God had been teaching me throughout the week.

As I drove home, I replayed the week in my mind.

The worship.

The laughter.

The conversations.

The prayers for Ms. Paula.

The reminders that God is the Author of all things, salvation, truth, and joy.

That night, before I went to bed, I prayed for Sunday morning. I asked God to help me communicate those truths clearly. There was a heaviness in my spirit that I couldn’t explain. I didn’t know what was coming, but I felt an urgency to remind our children that real joy isn’t found in our circumstances. It is found in staying connected to Jesus.

The next morning, I taught our second graders in Life Group and led Kids Praise. We talked again about who God is. We talked about the hope we have in Jesus. We talked about the joy that comes from remaining connected to Him.

It wasn’t until after church was over that I saw the text.

Ms. Paula had peacefully gone home to be with Jesus.

Looking back now, I can see God’s providence so clearly.

Before our children would hear heartbreaking news, God had already spent four nights at camp reminding them exactly who He is.

Then, before any of us knew what had happened, He gave me one more opportunity to stand before our second graders and point them to those same unchanging truths.

He already knew what Sunday would hold.

We didn’t.

But He did.

He is the Author of all things.

He is the Author of salvation.

He is the Author of truth.

And even in grief, He is still the Author of joy.

Not because our circumstances are joyful, but because our joy has never depended on our circumstances. It has always depended on Jesus.

One song we sang that last night of worship has stayed with me ever since. One question from the chorus continues to echo in my heart:

“Where can I go that my Maker won’t be?”

After everything that has happened, those words have taken on an even deeper meaning.

God was with us at camp.

He was with Paula.

He was with our children who were not at camp.

He was with me when I received the text.

And He is with us now.

There is nowhere we can go where our Maker is not already there.

This won’t be my last story from camp. There are still so many joyful memories to share. But before I shared any of those, I wanted to share this one, because it reminded me once again that our God never wastes a single moment.

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” — Psalm 16:11