Band Camp, Gatorade, and Jesus

     AAAHHHHH. Today was one of those days. Every year, I forget that 5:00 comes around twice a day... until the last week of July. Then it's time for Band Camp. Oh, Band Camp... Sweat, sore muscles, mud-soaked shoes, and teenagers- who also had to wake up at 5:00 AM- make an unforgettable experience. Especially today. At 7:00 AM, the freshman beside me says, 'Aaron, I don't feel so good.' So I told him to go get some water and sit down. He did, and then came back.... and the next thing we know, his breakfast is all over the field. What a way to start the week. Poor kid.
     So after 7 hours of marching, playing, and becoming just plain exhausted, I finally, finally, made it home. Beautiful, gracious home. Home, where I could take the sleep of a thousand years... aka, an afternoon nap. But first, a drink of Gatorade. A glass of that orange, sweet juice never looked so delicious in my life. As I took the scoop of powder and dropped into the glass, a thought struck me. A thought I'd never had before.
     Before, all I had was a glass of water. Ordinary. Plain. But, once that powder was infused, that ordinary glass of water was altered. There was no going back. No matter how much I shook it, how long it sat there, or what else happened to it, it was noticeably, obviously changed.
     In the same way, as a child of God, I am changed. I've been told all my life that as a Christian, I should and would be different. I know that. But I believe there is more than that. I want to be different. My soul cries out to be given the thoughts of God, to be lead in the right direction. I've been thinking about how sick to the core I am of sin. Sin, that rears its ugly head every time I begin to feel God trying to teach me something. I praise God for Jesus, and for the Holy Spirit! For alone, I could never follow my Savior. But with the Great Helper, God has given us something we can't fully understand. No longer must we try to follow all the rules and "Do's and Dont's" of religion, but instead, the rules become a great desire. A love. A love for our Creator, a pull in the right direction. Thank You, Abba! Thank You!
      The Love of God is an awesome thing. As the Gatorade powder made the water sweet, so the Love of God makes us sweet. It changes our souls. Oh, God, change us still. Mold us. Pull us towards Yourself!
     When I took that first sip, I could feel myself relaxing, getting ready to rest the exhaustion away. My thoughts began to wander.... AAAHHHHH. Today was one of those days...