A FUN FILLED WEEK: Students from Cairo High School, Brookwood, Thomas County Central, and Thomasville all attended YoungLife Thomas County's week long summer camp in Jasper, Ga.

Some of you may have noticed I was gone this past week. For the second year, I was volunteering with Thomas County YoungLife to take kids to camp.

This year we traveled to Jasper, Ga., where we attended Sharptop Cove with 42 of our high school friends.

On the way to Sharptop, we went whitewater rafting in Columbus. For most of the kids, this was a new and exciting experience. I had gone whitewater rafting in Columbus before, but I was excited to share this time with my friends.

We paddled our way through the level three rapids, jumped into the water, and overall had a lot of laughs when we saw the pictures of us.

We then boarded the bus and traveled the rest of our journey.

As we pulled into the scenic Georgia mountains, we were greeted by summer staff, who lugged our ridiculously heavy suitcases into the cabin, our home away from home for the next week.

The campers then ran off to free time, beginning what would hopefully be their best week all summer.

This was my eighth time visiting Sharptop Cove. However, as a high schooler and as an adult volunteer, I have only visited during winter weekend camp. I have never had the opportunity to enjoy the rope swing into the lake, the waterslide, or the ropes course.

These summer activities make me smile as I already look back on myself flying into the lake off a slick metal waterslide, while the students died laughing.

Having been to camp so many times, I went in with the notion that some of the activities would be new, but I knew the message. I didn’t feel that camp speaker Kyle could tell me the story of the cross and the resurrection in a way I didn’t already know.

For those who have never attended YoungLife camp, each day is filled with activities and free time, but the focus is to bring kids closer to God with the hope being they return Home to the Father.

Kyle went through the basics, but as he entered the talk about sin and how we are all broken, he pulled out a ladder.

I didn’t know where he was going with this, but just as the high schoolers in the room, I watched with intent and listened.

Kyle described us as constantly trying to climb this ladder to reach God’s love and forgiveness. We do something good like pray, attend church, go on a mission trip, and take two steps up, but then we party or cheat on a test and take two steps down.

It’s ultimately a game we have created, never winning and tiring ourselves out on the climb.

I was dumbstruck.

How many times in my life have I done this?

I know better. I know that’s not the truth. I know that’s not how God’s love or forgiveness works, and yet Kyle was speaking on something I’ve done and on occasion still do.

Kyle explained this is a competition we have created as sinners, but God loves and forgives us no matter what. There is no amount of goodness that will get us into Heaven, we can only get there by admitting we are sinners and need Him to save us.

As we entered the last few days of camp after that conversation, I reminded myself of who I was and who I was created to be. I’m not always the perfect leader, the perfect daughter, or the perfect employee, but that doesn’t mean I’m not loved and I’m not forgiven. I just have to admit to what I’ve done and be sincerely sorry.

I hope this message resonated with my high school friends as much as it did me. I feel so free now, so unburdened by the weight I had been carrying for months, knowing that I can stop the balancing act on the ladder and just be me.

I thank God for this time away from the noise for me to come to that realization, but also feel blessed to be back home and share this newfound wisdom with you guys.