First Day Nerves at Camp: God Is Already There Waiting (Joshua 1:9)
The first day of camp can feel like your stomach dropped into your shoes. Through Joshua 1:9 and the story of God sending Joshua into a brand-new place, kids learn that wherever they go, God is already there waiting, and three real moves they can try that first day.
For Parents
Summer camp is coming, and your kid is already a little nervous about that first day in a cabin full of kids they don't know. This episode walks them through Joshua 1:9, the verse God spoke right before sending Joshua into a brand-new place, and gives them three small things to try that first day. You don't have to coach them through it. Just ask them later about a place they were nervous to walk into.
The One Thing for the Ride
“Wherever you go, God is already there waiting.”
Scripture
Joshua 1:9
CSB
Key Takeaways
- Wherever you go, God is already there waiting.
- God told Joshua to be strong and courageous right before sending him into a place he had never been.
- The word 'wherever' means God is in the unfamiliar cabin, dining hall, trail, and lake too, not just the places that feel familiar.
- Whispering one true sentence can settle the nerves the moment they rise.
- Finding another nervous kid and saying your name is often how a friendship starts.
Try This Week
- The whisper-Joshua move: when you feel the nerves rise, whisper to yourself, 'The Lord my God is with me wherever I go.' One sentence. Hear yourself say it.
- The look-for-the-other-nervous-kid move: find one kid in the cabin who looks like they feel exactly how you feel. Walk over. Say your name. Ask theirs. You probably just made a friend.
- The thank-God-He-beat-you-there move: out loud or in your head, say, 'God, thank You for getting here before me.'
Talk It Over
Where is one place you've been nervous to walk into, and how did you remember God was already there?
