SLAM Week Impact

Journal Prompt

SLAM Nashville week: What did you learn? How were you challenged? What will you take away from this experience?

My Thoughts

Something that challenged me was the choice of my countenance when I was tired. Would I choose to engage God’s spirit and respond with joy, or would I choose to look and act sleepy and disinterested? It seems like a no-brainer question, but choosing joy in real life, in difficult moments when you’re being pressed and stretched, is not an automated response. It takes a conscious decision to engage joy when you’ve been giving a lot of your time and energy to something.

I’m thankful to our trip leaders for making us aware of ourselves. As young people and as humans in general, it’s nearly impossible for us to see ourselves and evaluate our response in the moment. Our team leaders have been faithful to tell us the truth and correct us when we aren’t displaying the energy and peace that should come from connecting to God’s spirit. Because of their help and teaching, I am trying to be more sensitive to what my face and body language communicate when I’m interacting with others. If I am having a conversation with a young SLAM student, cleaning for the elderly, or facilitating games for refugee and immigrant children, I want my face to reflect the joy of the Lord. I don’t want to look grumpy, tired, or bored.

The best part about this lesson is that it extends so far beyond a SLAM week or an Internship. This lesson will benefit me for my entire life as I continue to serve the vulnerable in the world. When I am working on behalf of the Lord, I want to accurately represent his reputation in my conduct. I want people to see his light in me, and that means I have to be aware of my face, my tone of voice, my word choices, etc. It may seem like a small thing to some, but to me it has been an impactful lesson from the Lord about how I can better make him proud in my daily interactions with other people.