I work as a mentor and leader with the teenage girls in my church, and I love every minute of it. Each summer, the girls are able to spend a week camping together, and we call this Girls Camp. I was blessed to be able to go up for 3 days of camp this year, and it was a blast. Camping together, with no cell service and social media, in the beautiful God-created wilderness, learning about the things of Heaven is such a wonderful blessing and opportunity, for both the girls and their leaders.

Each year there is a camp theme, and this year it was Press Forward (taken from this scripture) — however, at times, it seems like a new theme emerges throughout the devotionals and conversations we have at camp, and that theme this year, for me, was Live Like You Believe. I think that a lot of times as Christians, we beat ourselves up over what we’re not doing and what we don’t know. And because of those doubts and insecurities, we decide we’re not worthy enough to pray or to study our scriptures. We decide it’s not worth the effort. We decide it’s not for sure, and so, it’s not for us.

But that is not the way it works. Those thoughts only come from one place — the adversary. He wants you to fail. So don’t believe that for one second. Instead, remember that no matter what you believe, no matter what you know, no matter how much you think you are failing, Christ wants you. Christ loves you.

At one devotional during camp, a group of girls sang this beautiful song, and I have to share some of the amazing lyrics with you:

You have felt the warmth of the fire
You have seen a glimmer of light
It’s something that you have been missing inside
Something that you have been longing to find
Hold on to the yearning
And wherever you are on your journey
Live like you believe
Live like you know
It’s one sure way
Your faith will grow
Listen to your heart
Search in your soul
And you’ll find
The strength that you need
His light, the gift of His peace
When you live like you believe

No matter where you are on the journey, if you live like you believe, I guarantee that your testimony will grow. It might not be overnight, it might takes days or months or years. But it will grow. And you will grow in His grace and His love, and He will heal your heart. I know that to be true.

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to go to camp this year. It provides a setting where you can get to know your girls so much better than you do just at church on Sundays. Relationships were built and strengthened, testimonies were grown and shared. We did hard things together (like waking up at 6 am to go on a sunrise hike), and we just had fun —- as evidenced by this wonderful picture from our glowstick dance party that took place at midnight on our last night.

I love these girls. I love my fellow leaders. I love my church.

And I am grateful for the reminder I had to live like I believe.