Camping, and Loving People

Every time I go camping, I come home feeling cleaner. Not physically cleaner (yesterday my feet looked as if they had been dusted with cinnamon), I mean spiritually cleaner. 

When I am close to nature, I feel closer to God. The mountains and trees speak to me of His majesty. The stars are like His fingerprints, the wind His breathe, the dirt His skin. Somehow, I am more patient, more gracious, and more kind when camping, even when daily tasks are more difficult. I am less distracted, more focused, and more aware of God's presence in my life. Camping trips always make me want to move to the mountains.

But then I remember a time in my life, when I was contemplating my post-college plans, and I almost decided to take a full-time job at a camp in the Santa Cruz mountains. This was a non-Christian camp, what some people call an 'outdoor school', and I would be living in the redwoods while working with 5th and 6th-graders from all over the area.

"What a great opportunity!" I told God. "Think of all the children I could love! And how I could shine your light! And they want my musical talents too!"

I tried again and again to convince God that this was the best move for me, but I knew that the answer was 'no'.

It wasn't until I was nearing graduation day that I understood why.

"You like to run away, Rita," God told me. "You would be taking this job not to shine My light, but to hide it. I want you to learn to love people as much as you love my creation."

He was right. I didn't like how people hurt me and disappointed me. I wanted to deal with people on my own terms. By living in the mountains, I would become a hermit, avoiding most people, and choosing to ignore the rest of the world. I would also be disobeying God's commandment, to love my neighbor as myself (because how can you love your neighbor if you don't have any?) There was much I needed to learn about true love.

And so I stayed in the suburbs and became a teacher and youth leader, learning over the years not to be fearful of people, but rather, how to love them as God loves them.

Now, many years later, I still feel a deeper connection with God when I am in His creation, but I finally understand this: People are His creation. In fact, God values people even more than the trees and the birds and the mountains, because He made people in His image and filled people with His breath. And yes, they will disappoint me. Yes, they will hurt me. But they are valuable to God. ALL of them. I only need to see God's majesty and beauty in each and every person.