A day after leaving the Gathering Place Park, the group went to a campground to spend the night. It started out like any other night in a campground, but quickly turned into an adventure! The campground had two small cabins that the group got to use that night, the cabins even had electric lights! It was a good thing that they had those nice cabins! They had just gotten into the cabins when they heard thunder in the distance, then the wind began to blow hard, and the rain poured down. The storm was scary, and all the kids and leaders crowded into the boy’s, cabin so that they could be together during the storm. The wild storm lasted until after it was dark, but at last the storm faded into the distance and it was quiet once again.
The Leader said, “As long as we are all together, let’s have our evening learning time before the girls go back to their own cabin and we get ready for bed.” That was a good idea, and all the kids and the other leaders gathered around to see what the Leader was going to teach them about God that evening. The Leader sat on his bed and opened his Bible, and …. The lights went out!
It was still cloudy, so there was no moonlight or starlight. There were no lights anywhere in the campground! It was so dark that the kids could not see their hands when they held them in front of their faces! Many of the kids began screaming and the leaders were yelling and telling the kids to be quiet and stay calm! Some of the kids were trying to get out of the cabin and they were tripping over the other kids and leaders! It was mass confusion, and someone was going to get hurt!
Fortunately, the Leader was still sitting on his bed, and his backpack was right beside him. He reached into the side pocket of the backpack and took out his small battery-powered lantern and turned it on! The small lantern only gave a little light, but that light made all the difference. Everyone instantly calmed down, the fear left them, and the all the kids came back to the Leader and sat down on the floor.
The Leader said, “I’ve changed my mind about what I was going to teach you tonight. Since the lights have gone out, I think we will talk about light tonight. I noticed that when it was completely dark, all of you were scared. Some were scared of the dark, some were scared of the other people hurting them, and some were even scared that a ‘monster’ would come and get them! As soon as I turned on my lantern, the fear left the group. Even though it is just a little light, the light made all the difference. The light drove away fear! Jesus compared Christians to light!”
In the Bible in Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus says:
“You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
When you kids are in school or even just hanging out with your friends, you need to let the light of Jesus shine out in your life. Your life should look different because of having Jesus in your life! The people around you, your friends and even some of the members of your family may not know Jesus, and they are living in fear. This world can be a scary place, and if they do not know Jesus, then they do not have forgiveness, they are not on their way to heaven, and they are living without hope. Fear dominates their lives! If you determine to live for Jesus, then the example of your life will be like a small light in a dark place, it will make all the difference and it will point the way to Jesus. If they accept Jesus into their life, then Jesus will begin to remove the fear from their life.
So, will you be the one who will live for Jesus in your family, in your school and in your neighborhood so that others will see the light of Jesus in your life and be drawn to Jesus?”