Earlier today and all of yesterday I was, in fact, uninspired. Not really uninspired to write but just down in the dumps, “feeling”, sort of useless, and very not like every parent tells their children they are “special.” Today as it rained again, I ascertained these are the normal feelings of so many grey days in a row for me, so, on the way home, I started trying to intentionally take my thoughts captive and focus my mind on pure, lovely, and holy, things. Yes, I’m using my own biblical counseling strategy to counsel myself. I got home, turned on some lights, and tackled one task that needed to be done. I was already feeling better.

Some years ago, my family accepted a very gracious invitation to attend a family retreat at Frontier Camp on Houston County Lake, near Grapeland, TX. We lived close enough to travel back and forth for the daily activities, but many other families stayed in the cabins at camp. That is a precious memory for our family as we did so many things together with other families, from the big swing to arrow tag, dodgeball, decorating cookies, gaga ball (which I think we are supposed to call something else), basketball, and so many other activities, but the one that sticks with us most as a family, was a Bible study. The retreat pastor shared a very real and vulnerable story about parenting and his family, whom we knew personally, our son will spend this coming weekend with his son, and they are in their 20’s now! The message was on Godly living, with multiple passages from the Bible encouraging us to Walk Worthy in the manner in which we are called, as ambassadors for Christ, sons and daughters of God, our citizenship being in Heaven and representing like it!

He shared that “Walk Worthy” was a regular phrase that came from his mouth as his kids left the home for school or work, it became a regular phrase to the kids, bonus and biological, as they left my home too. Occasionally, I’d chase them out the door just to shout, “I love you, Walk Worthy!” as they got in their cars. It was a sign that one of our incredible mentors in youth made for us, and to my knowledge, is still hanging above the youth room door as a challenge to live out the faith you say you believe in your daily life to this very day.

As I sat there thinking on that wonderful experience at Frontier Camp, and our continued relationships with so many of those camp families, and about us sharing that message with youth so much so that it became their motto too. We even had our own double W “Walk Worthy” “hand sign” we would sometimes use to silently encourage each other. Today, it occurred to me, the very act of pushing through and taking my thoughts captive and forcing them to align with the will of Christ WAS walking worthy. Daily choices we make, especially on the hard days are what walking worthy is all about. I had to untether myself from the unhealthy thoughts and tether myself to thoughts of Christ! Let’s walk worthy brothers and sisters, and when we stumble a bit, grab hold of one another and encourage each other on!