Last week I had the honor of visiting the summer camp I grew up going to, and have spent the last five years counseling. I was only able to stop by for one day, but seeing those students and being in that atmosphere reminded me of the power that short term relationships have to create long term influence.
I still remember when I was ten years old and my camp counselor Miss Lynn told me that my singing of America The Beautiful was so loud and patriotic that it made her cry (in a good way). I am twenty three years old now, I have not seen Miss Lynn in over ten years, and yet I still remember that exact moment. Why? Because Miss Lynn saw the potential for influence and seized the moment. She used her position of authority to encourage, and that encouragement still has a profound effect on me today.
The camp counselor is not necessarily a camp counselor. He or she could be a high school teacher, a sports coach, or a guest speaker. Regardless of occupation, the camp counselor is anyone who uses their short term relationship to make a long term impact.
The camp counselor doesn’t look at working with kids as a temporary job, she looks at it as an opportunity. Each day is an opportunity to pour into the next generation, just as the last generation poured into her.
The camp counselor is intentional with every single moment, because he knows that each moment is packed full with the potential to touch and drastically alter the course of a someone’s life.
The camp counselor knows that while she may not be able to run the entire race with her students, she can certainly provide them with enough fuel to get through the tough times.
Our lives are full of relationships where we play the role of the camp counselor. We can either view these roles as obligatory to-do list projects that will be over in a week’s time, or we can view them as an opportunity to encourage, enlighten, inspire, impact, and influence those who have been entrusted to us. Somebody needs you to be their Miss Lynn. The question is, will you see the potential for influence, and seize the moment?
I still remember when I was ten years old and my camp counselor Miss Lynn told me that my singing of America The Beautiful was so loud and patriotic that it made her cry (in a good way). I am twenty three years old now, I have not seen Miss Lynn in over ten years, and yet I still remember that exact moment. Why? Because Miss Lynn saw the potential for influence and seized the moment. She used her position of authority to encourage, and that encouragement still has a profound effect on me today.
The camp counselor is not necessarily a camp counselor. He or she could be a high school teacher, a sports coach, or a guest speaker. Regardless of occupation, the camp counselor is anyone who uses their short term relationship to make a long term impact.
The camp counselor doesn’t look at working with kids as a temporary job, she looks at it as an opportunity. Each day is an opportunity to pour into the next generation, just as the last generation poured into her.
The camp counselor is intentional with every single moment, because he knows that each moment is packed full with the potential to touch and drastically alter the course of a someone’s life.
The camp counselor knows that while she may not be able to run the entire race with her students, she can certainly provide them with enough fuel to get through the tough times.
Our lives are full of relationships where we play the role of the camp counselor. We can either view these roles as obligatory to-do list projects that will be over in a week’s time, or we can view them as an opportunity to encourage, enlighten, inspire, impact, and influence those who have been entrusted to us. Somebody needs you to be their Miss Lynn. The question is, will you see the potential for influence, and seize the moment?
