This summer I had the joy of working with two different kind of campers. I was a speaker at a middle school girls camp and on our mission trip I got to work with a special needs camp filled with campers with Down Syndrome.
Both sets of campers (middle school girls and campers with Down Syndrome) are the kinds of people who I think are very close to Jesus. They get it about who He is. Both groups exude joy, acceptance, love, and excitement in all they do. They live in the knowledge that they are loved and accepted. There is whimsy. There is joy.
Sometimes I can be the very opposite of them.
At girls camp, I experienced 150 girls who were searching for Jesus in new ways, figuring out how to live like Him. I received so many notes of how they were changed because of what I said. I had multiple conversations with girls who just want to figure out how to best live for Him. I encountered girls who have (sadly) had to grow up quick and are dealing with issues that break my heart. They are fearless in their quest toward a life with Christ no matter what. They amaze me. They wear tutus. They consume pounds of sugar in a very short amount of time. They try new things like the giant swing. They sit on picnic tables and hold “Fluffy” the snake. They teach me to have a spirit of adventure.
Adventurous. Hopeful. Seeking Christ.
And then there’s those amazing campers with Down Syndrome.
My crew of 5 awesome high school students were given the task of going to a special needs camp. I have always said that people with Down Syndrome know Jesus best. I was selfishly thrilled to spend a week with people who know Jesus. And to compare myself to them. And to be challenged by who they are in this world.
What I found in my experiment of comparison is that these campers (ages 5-60ish) found excitement and laughter in all they did. Songs, baking, walking to lunch, getting to drink Diet Coke, playing bingo, sweatin’ to the oldies, and rest time... no matter what, there was happiness in the air.
As I got to talk and interact with the campers with Down Syndrome, I found that all of the answers to my questions were in a positive note. The word “No” was barely heard. I would ask “Have you gone fishing yet?” and the answer would be an enthusiastic “Not yet!”
Positive. Hopeful.
One day I was siting with a camper who wasn’t speaking. She simply sat there in her own space and thoughts. Every once and a while she would break out in laugher. Full body laughter.
Joy, unspeakable joy.
While coloring during rest time, a camper looked up straight into my eyes and said “You’re beautiful, ya know it?” and then went back to coloring.
Uninhibited encouragement.
Yet another camper found a way to make everything into an opportunity of praise for someone else. She was the resident cheerleader. She always had a song to sing about a counselor, volunteer, or fellow camper. Positive words of affirmation flowed from her lips like she was born to make others feel loved.
Celebrating others.
There is a certain sense of whimsy when it comes to people with Down Syndrome. There’s an uninhibited acknowledgment that they are loved, they are worth it in the eyes of Christ. They just know it and live it. When I compare myself to these very special people, I find that I am rarely these things. I try to have whimsy and joy, but it can very easily get sidetracked by people, places, or things.
I think that deep down within our souls we all long for whimsy, joy, excitement. To be filled with hope and love. To be cheerleaders for others. To simply love.
And so I hope that in your everyday life, you embrace a sense of being the kind of people who are close to Jesus, who know you’re loved and can live within that. To live like these campers... to be like middle school girls and have every hope in the world. To be like the campers with down syndrome, and love like Jesus is watching.
Wear a tutu every once and awhile. Dance to your favorite song, sing out loud in your car. Tell someone they are beautiful. Share a smile, do a cheer for a friend. Write a letter to someone who has influenced you. Make a friendship bracelet for your bestie. Have a sense of adventure and hope. Love like Jesus is watching.
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