The Freedom To Commit

CAMP-of-the-WOODS?  A job close to home to be near family?  Summer classes? 

Life presents many good options for students these days.  We see the situation over and over as we recruit and hire summer staff, and they are a very responsible group.  As they choose CAMP-of-the-WOODS, staff often tell us that they are considering:  

• Serving God (like at CAMP-of-the-WOODS)
• Being home with family, especially if someone is ill
• Gaining experience in their area of study
• Making lots of money so that they can graduate college with no debt
• Going where their friends go

Overall, these are very responsible options!  So how can you & I lead them as they choose?

We recognize a pattern in how staff make these choices.  First, they seek a wide range of advice from “peers.”  This involves searching online and finding all the information they can on various options.  They prefer to gain information from peers in this way, not from advertisers.

Second, they talk to people they love; people who know them well enough to provide perspective, and who love them enough to be honest.  Such people include siblings, best friends, and yes – parents.  If you are a parent of a future Summer Staff member, then your input is desired and taken seriously.  You can listen to the options they are considering and provide perspective from the experiences you have had.  And you can aim them at the Word (like Psalm 119!)  Staff do not need to be told what to do.  Rather, they seek your perspective on the situation.

Considering all these important options can take time.  A challenge we face while hiring is that potential staff do not want to commit to a summer at CAMP-of-the-WOODS too early.  They are weighing the many good options they have.  As you listen to them and provide perspective, let them know that they have the freedom to commit.  They can commit to CAMP-of-the-WOODS (or spending the summer at home with you, or summer classes, etc…) and they need not worry about if it is the perfect choice or not.   At times, perhaps often, God is guiding these decisions even when we do not recognize it.  Thus there is freedom to commit.

I am very impressed with our staff and how they make decisions.  The options they consider are very responsible, and I applaud the wisdom they seek as they choose.  I encourage them to keep moving ahead toward a decision and to have the freedom to commit.