Being a Good Cabin-mate: Sticking Up for Others Is What a Leader Looks Like

Hey, Carpool Crew! Happy Friday. I hope you have an incredible weekend ahead. Have you ever been in a cabin at camp on night three, when somebody starts ripping on the kid in bunk five, and the laughs around you start, and you can feel a sentence forming in your mouth? I'm Pastor Justin, and this episode is about being the kid who shuts that flood down before it starts. We've all been there. Let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: Being the kid who shuts down the mean joke is what a real leader looks like. In Romans 12, verse 10, Paul writes: "Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another." Paul is writing to a group of Christians in Rome. They were from all different backgrounds. Different cities. Different families. Different histories. They were basically a cabin full of people who didn't pick each other. And Paul says one thing. Take the lead in honoring one another. Don't wait for somebody else to be kind first. You go first. That word "honor" means to treat somebody like they are worth something. To make them feel seen. To not laugh at them when they mess up. A cabin at camp is a wild thing. Eight to twelve kids you didn't pick. You sleep next to them. You change clothes near them. You're tired with them. You smell like them by Wednesday. And it's so easy to slide into the easy stuff. Make fun of the kid who snores. Roll your eyes when somebody cries. Mock the kid who took forever in the shower. It's also easy to be the kid who fixes it. The one who notices the new kid is left out of the inside joke. The one who quiets the cabin when somebody is missing home. The one who picks the bunk nobody wants. If Jesus were sitting cross-legged on the cabin floor between the bunks after lights-out, He'd lean back and say, "Hey. You don't need a counselor title to lead in here. You just need to go first. Be the first one to treat the quiet kid like they matter. Be the first one to shut down a joke that's about to hurt somebody. That's the kind of leader I'm building." Night three. The lights are off. Somebody starts ripping on the kid in bunk five for crying earlier. Three kids start laughing. You feel a sentence forming. You can join in. You can stay quiet. Or you can say one sentence that shuts it down. Hey, this week, here are a couple things you could try in your cabin. First. The learn-every-name move. Learn every kid in your cabin's name by night two. Use their name when you talk to them. People feel honored when you remember their name. Second. The shut-it-down move. When somebody in your cabin gets picked on, even if it's "just a joke," say one short thing. "That's not cool." "Hey, leave them alone." That sentence costs you almost nothing and changes everything. Third. The do-the-thing-nobody-asked move. Sweep the cabin floor. Make the bed of the kid running late. Bring back a water bottle for somebody. Anybody can demand to be treated well. The kid who honors people who aren't watching is the one Jesus is building into a real leader. Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. Being the kid who shuts down the mean joke is what a real leader looks like. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, real quick. This Saturday on Carpooling with Jesus+, we're on Homesick at Bedtime, the verse to whisper when your kid is missing home in a strange bunk. And Sunday, we're on Going Home With Stories, how your kid's camp story is actually one of the ways they point others to God. For less than the cost of one fast-food meal a month, your whole weekend has some Jesus in it. Subscribe right from the app you're already listening on. Hey, before you go, let's answer this question together. Who is one person you could honor this week by going first, even when nobody is watching? I'll see you tomorrow or next Monday on Carpooling with Jesus.