"Life"guarding - Nathan Fitzmaurice

I have learned so much this summer...even though some of it hasn't been easy!

My name is Nathan and I'm the lifeguard at the Camp Gilead pool.  This summer I have learned that I need to enforce the rules carefully or someone will risk injury.  It can be hard being the only lifeguard in charge because most times I am used to lifeguarding with others at a pool.  But now, I am the authority and the campers need to follow my directions.  I love to see all of their creativity and sillyness but when they misbehave it makes me sad and reminds that I need to do something so that their fun does not get out of hand.

Like most people, I don't enjoy disciplining and this past week was one of my first encounters with this.  I learned quickly how my parents must have felt whenever I disobeyed.  I also thought about how God must have felt when Adam and Eve sinned for the first time.  This perspective is so new to me.  It is not fun to have someone have to sit out of swimming because they weren't following directions. 

God wants the best for us and sometimes all we feel like doing is taking our life into our own hands and it ends up falling into dangerous waters.  It's then we have to realize again that we need Jesus.  And yet again, Christ jumps in and pulls us out.  He always comes back for us, no matter what we do.

Nathan Fitzmaurice
Camp Gilead Lifeguard