Surely goodness

The worst thing about coming back from Fall Break is having to face all of the work waiting for me back at school.  Contrary to popular belief, early childhood education is, in fact, a legit (and currently stressful) major.  But I'm not here to complain about my major because I chose it, and hopefully, it it will one day get me a job I love.  My problem is that I stress myself out wayyyy too much over my work.  I'm a huge perfectionist, and sometimes I literally cannot fall asleep at night because I'm thinking of ways that my work could be better, or simply being overwhelmed by all that I have to do.  Anyway, so lately I've been thinking a lot about camp this past summer, and how I would LOVE to go back... mostly because I associate camp with not being stressed, not because I'm dying to get back to the outdoors or anything haha.  So this morning, I was sitting in Springs, reading a devotional, and I came across this verse that is from a camp song:

"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" - Psalm 23:6

Now, I never sang this song at camp until my very last week there.  Just to give some background info on my last week at camp: It was the first week in August, and I had been at camp for 2 months at that point.  The camp I worked at did both day camps and residential camp, and I had been on site doing res camp for most of the summer.  The last week was an "extended week" which meant that the kids were there from Saturday- Saturday instead of the normal Sunday- Friday.  It was also my birthday week.  I would have literally done ANYTHING to be on day camp that week.  Anything.  I had been on site the week before, and I was dying to go somewhere cool my last week in Florida.  However, I was assigned to be on site at camp that week.  So my week 7 middle school girls left on Friday afternoon, and I got another group of elementary school girls on Saturday afternoon.  I was beyond exhausted and out of fun things to do and upset that I didn't get the weekend to catch up on sleep like I usually did.  Additionally, most of the girls in my cabin were BFFs who had all been at camp the summer before.  They wanted everything to be just like last summer, and they were quick to point out to me when something was different... especially things that their old counselor let them do that I wasn't letting them do.  Anyway, these girls' FAVORITE song was "Surely Goodness," which I had not sang all summer.  So to try and appease them in some way, I requested that we sing it at worship and campfires.  We sang that song a bunch that week, and it became one of my favorites.  Probably partially due to the fact that I had not heard it 500 times at that point in the summer, like I had every other song.  Looking back on it now, though, that was one of my best weeks of camp.  Though it was exhausting, I had so much fun that week, despite my initial bad attitude about it.  Every time I think about that week, I think about that song.  (I also think about how that week was the week I started using cabin times to paint nails and do hair... like I said, I was OUT of stuff to do!)

So, I was pumped to see that verse pop up in my devotional today.  I thought it was ironic, seeing as how I've been thinking about wanting to go back to Florida.  It also reminded me of how well that week turned out when I was initially stressed about it.  I believe that God's goodness and mercy WILL follow me through my life, even times like now when I'm stressed out.  

Surely goodness and mercy

Will follow me

All the days of my life, all the days of my life

And I will dwell

In the house of the Lord

Forever, forever, forever, Amen