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Rejoice with Singing
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Confirmation Retreat as an adult chaperone. The retreat brought together 41 lively 8th graders, both boys and girls, and the energy was palpable. We planned several activities to help the kids wind down at night, but at this age, wearing them out is a tall order — especially when they’re surrounded by friends.
When it came time for bed, their energy remained high. Just as we thought everything was settled and the lights were off, the laughter and talking resumed. After about 15 minutes, there was a knock on the director’s quarters door: one of the girls said she thought she’d seen someone walking around the lake with flashlights. Concerned, my fellow adult counselor and Student Minister, Madison Vanacore, and I stepped outside to investigate. The lake was quiet and the night was serene. We reassured the girls that there were many people at the camp across the lake and that, while a few flashlights might be nearby, no one was approaching our campsite.
The girls calmed down enough to drift off to sleep, but only after I sang a soothing song to them. The following evening, we allowed a bit more time tostay up, knowing they would be excited about their final night. As lights-out approached, Madison and I returned to our director’s quarters, hoping for a peaceful night. But about 10 minutes later, we heard laughter, screaming and footsteps around the girls’ cabin next door. It quickly became clear that sleep wouldn’t come easily, so we went to the room to ask them to settle down and go to bed — for their sake and ours, since we needed to wake early for the Eucharist service.
When we opened the door, their smiling faces in the moonlight softened our hearts. They were awake and, knowing they were caught, their expressions told us they knew they should settle down. I calmly asked the girls to lie down and go to sleep; we needed to wake early. One girl sat up and asked, “Can you sing to us again?” Two thoughts ran through my mind: first, are they trying to avoid sleep, or can I show them love and stay calm? Trusting God, I chose the latter and, rather than getting annoyed, offered two more songs of peace. Sure enough, after a few minutes, they were sound asleep.
Our God knows us well — He knows what is in our hearts and what we need for comfort. It’s our job to lead our children and our students with love and calmness, imitating our Father above. He is the good judge who delights in us, and as the Word reminds us, “in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV).
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