It was when I was approximately 19 or 20 years old that I attended my first Kairos camp. Activities in nature become life lessons from a faith perspective. Revealing, challenging, and experiences of deep wisdom.
Some time after my camp, I joined a team that organized them, and I learned even more. The activities are so varied that it’s practically impossible to include them all in a single camp. Having the opportunity to be part of a team taught me many of the activities that I didn’t experience at my own camp.
One activity that was different in nature and consistent across every camp, was about receiving a promise.
“A promise?”
Honestly, I didn’t know what it was about. I had no idea. And although I was curious, it didn’t seem to catch my attention enough… Anyway…
Before being exposed to this activity, what I heard about promises was that they were something serious and required a lot of commitment. It felt like something even burdensome to fulfill. A phrase I remember hearing repeatedly was:
“Don’t promise anything you can’t keep.”
In your case, how do you perceive promises? Do they “weigh” on you? Do they excite you?
Since my predisposition toward promises wasn’t necessarily “positive,” I wasn’t “happy” to know that there was something within the camp related to promises either.
Looking back, I’d heard many broken promises, with their corresponding disappointment. I had had romantic relationships in my youth, where there were lovely moments, only to discover that he was a fake person dating two people at the same time. There were no promises up until that point, but I didn’t feel like checking whether or not he would keep any potential promises.
In your experience, have you ever had promises broken? What was that like for you?
Within the camp, there were some friends who were familiar with the activity, and they were quite excited about it.
As camp was almost over, it was time for the promises. Each of us ended up with a small piece of paper in our hands. That piece of paper had a Bible verse, different for everyone. And it was on that piece of paper that the promise was found.
After each of us received our promise, we had time to receive it and meditate on it. Nature was the perfect space to support each of us in this process.
Sharing our promise with someone else was completely voluntary. Some loved doing it, and a few others liked to keep it to themselves.
Something I found fascinating was that some people received the same promise at different camps, and they took it with great joy.
It was until this point that I personally began to have a more loving perception of what a promise could be.
And at another point, someone shared with us that God doesn’t forget His promises.
Have you ever perceived any promises from God to you?
In Scripture, Jesus tells the apostles:
“Wait here until my Father’s promise is fulfilled.”
This place was Jerusalem. And the promise was fulfilled.
Also, Jesus tells us that he will be with us until the end of the age. And this Bible verse was one of those given as promises at the camps.
Have you ever felt alone? Could you receive this Bible verse not as a promise, but as a reminder that God has always been with you?
In a way that may not be easy to understand, God holds eternity in the palm of his hand, and what seems to be past and future is always present for God.
Could it be that this is why His message is eternal?
Paul reminds us that Jesus, who made promises to us, is faithful to his word.
What for us at one moment is a promise, in the future, eventually becomes a reminder.
Could you see God’s promises as reminders in your life?
If the Spirit leads you, share with Jesus the carpenter the promises you have received from him. And perhaps you will discover that some are not promises, but reminders.
Marisol
P.S. We can hear about what Jesus promises us in the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year/Cycle C, on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord.
