A Second Camp Story

“Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”

It was a warm summer evening at camp, and naturally, the Camp Staff had a plan. The campers were gone for the day, so it was just the full-timers. Since our camp is situated on a river, we set off on a canoe/paddleboard adventure. Around twenty of us made our way down the river. Except this wasn’t a pleasure ride.

Only a few weeks before, devastating wildfires had ripped through the forest around our camp. By the grace of God, the fires had stopped a mere kilometer from the camp! (For reference, at its peak, the fire could have reached the camp in just over ten minutes.) God had saved our camp, but now we needed to see by just how much.

As we canoed down the river and launched into ice-breaker questions (is green an overused favourite colour?), everything looked normal. The water was smooth, the trees were lush and green, and the sky was overcast yet still blue.

With camp still in our “rearview mirror”, we went around a bend in the river. What we saw evoked a mixture of horror and awe in all of us.

The Destruction of Beauty.

The first thing that came to mind was a scene from the TV series Rings of Power, where the volcano erupts and coats a town in black ash. As my friend said, “It feels like you’re walking on the moon.” It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments.

The whole forest consisted of jagged rock and scraggly black sticks poking rebelliously at the sky. We hopped from our canoes (careful not to slip on the lichen-coated rocks), and climbed up the riverbank. None of us had seen anything like this before.

It would have been a good idea to pack shoes, but I didn’t think of it at the time. The ground was 100% black and grey ash. Within seconds, my feet were coated with soot. I reached out and ran my hand along a blackened tree. Now my hands were charcoal-grey too.

We spent a few minutes exploring the forest. Aside from an army of ants, we saw no wildlife. No birds, no bugs, no deer, nothing. Everything beautiful had seemingly been wiped out. And yet, despite how bleak everything looked, there was a silver lining: camp did not look like this. God had spared us for a reason.

Isaiah 43:2b (NLT) says, “When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Amen.

It was then that I saw the ferns.

The Beauty of Destruction.

There’s this quote from Jurassic Park that summarizes my thoughts: “Life finds a way.” Amidst darkness, destruction, and despair, green ferns were peeking through the ash. Not even the wildfire could stop them. Through the black we saw specks of green, and even patches of bark showing on trees.

It’s easy for me to look at the world like I looked at the forest that day: an endless expanse of darkness. And from the surface, maybe that’s all we see. But when we get down into it, when we get into the grittiness of the place we call home, we can see hope. There is still beauty, and my goal as a Christian is to uphold it. My goal is to stand for what’s good and right.

My experience at camp taught me two things:

#1: Be a “fern”.

When everyone around us is following this world’s patterns, and when you think there’s nothing good left in this world, be a fern. Be that one person who stands out in a sea of black. Act not as the world would act, but draw others to Christ by living for Him. Please don’t give up hope.

To quote Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV), “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

#2: Remember God’s purpose.

God uses wildfires and hardship to refine us. Wildfires are terrible in the moment, but in the long run, they benefit everyone. Here’s how an article on National Geographic put it…

Ecosystems benefit from periodic fires because they clear out dead organic material. As dead or decaying plants begin to build up on the ground, they may prevent organisms within the soil from accessing nutrients or block animals on the land from accessing the soil. This coating of dead organic matter can also choke out growth of newer or smaller plants.

The same is true in our lives. God has brought challenges into my life to root out compromise. Only after I’d gone through difficulties and reassessed where He wanted me was I able to experience growth. As a result, my devotional life grew exponentially, as did my volunteering and community service.

If you’re going through a “wildfire” right now, please know that God is there with you. God always has a plan. As Job discovered, it’s after life’s wildfires that we witness increasing new growth. It’s a principle that applies to people and wildfires alike. It’s a testament to God’s goodness that I can see beauty in what some may call utter destruction.

As I glanced at the remnant of a forest, my eye was drawn to the river. On both sides lay burned trees and grass. Yet, right in the middle, undisturbed, the river kept flowing. And I realized that the moral of today’s story is this…

Like a river, God’s work will keep flowing through all circumstances. The fires of life cannot stop Him.