The Boy at Summer Camp

Five years ago, I went to camp to be a technician (female high school volunteer) for the first time. I was nervous and excited and anxious to prove myself. I worked hard, learned a lot, and made many new friends. One person, however, stuck with me the most. It was a boy. I knew his brother from the year before, and I was automatically drawn to him because of that connection. He was a hard worker, funny, and someone who obviously had a passion for Christ. I remember one specific occasion when we were singing the song We Will Dance. The words of the chorus go like this: and we will dance on streets that are golden, the glorious bride and the great Son of Man, and every tribe and tongue and nation will join in the song of the Lamb. I was standing in front of this guy, and he was singing these words so passionately; I knew they came from deep within his soul; I knew he meant them, that he longed for the time when we will dance in worship and love with our Savior. That moment made an impact on me, as did many other things about the way he lived his life. I returned from camp with a mission. I wanted to live my life like he did. I wanted people to be able to look at me and recognize that the Holy Spirit is living and at work in my heart and life.

That guy's name was Josh Schrauger, and a little over a month after I returned home from camp, I found out that he and his younger brother had died in a car accident. I was devastated, but as his friends and family came together in the aftermath, one thing was brought up over and over again – his passion for Christ, his love for the Lord's work, his uncomplaining service. It was cemented further that I wanted to be like him.

On November seventeenth of that year, Josh's cross and track team put together a fundraiser for his family, a 5K memorial run. I attended that year and every year since. This year I can't go. It breaks my heart that I can't be there, but as I was thinking about it, something occurred to me that I haven't thought about in awhile. I was around Josh for a total of two weeks, one of which I hardly ever interacted with him, so I basically knew him for one week. In seven days, he made such an impact on my life that I have been changed forever. I will never forget Josh Schrauger and how he showed me what living a Spirit-filled life looks like. It made me ask a question. Do I have that kind of impact on people? When someone sees me interact in mundane circumstances, can they tell that I'm more joyful in my tasks than most? When I sing, do people recognize that I truly mean what I'm saying? Because I want that. I desire people to be able to know me for a day and to tell that I am not of this world. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” God, I can't do that on my own, but I want it. Transform me by Your power. Light me up like a spiritual Christmas tree so that I shine so brightly that no one will miss the way Your love and joy show through me.