Recently I had the opportunity to be a counselor for a kids and youth camp. Boy, was that something new. I have always been involved with some sort of kids ministry in my church, whether it be middle school youth group, kids youth group, Sunday school, or even volunteering in the nursery. Yet none of those even compares to being a kids counselor for a whole week.

1. Patience is hard.

This one goes for both adults and children alike. I learned that kids don't like to be patient for things they want, and sometimes that will cause them to either whine and complain or lash out and become angry if they don't get what they want immediately. I also found out that I had a hard time being patient with the kids who continually didn't listen to me or repetitively caused problems. Whether you are a child or an adult, patience is always a trying and growing thing.

2. Anger is ugly.

I never realized just how ugly it was, but sinful anger is not attractive in the least and is honestly disgusting to see in another person. Children are cute and are gifts from God, but the anger they show when they are young, when they are in an argument, when they don't get what they want, or are frustrated is not pretty.

3. Not obeying immediately is still disobedience.

This is something I would have rolled my eyes at if I heard it a few years ago, but now I totally get it. Being a kids counselor for a week made me feel like I was a parent for a week with nine girls who were all about the same age and who all didn't like being told when they had to go somewhere or do something. It was a struggle for me because I have started realizing just how important obedience is in our relationships with our parents, authorities, and most importantly with our God. So, seeing kids who wouldn't listen and would take their time to obey was frustrating and trying.

4. Disobeying those put in authority over you is disobeying God.

I kept reminding my kids about this throughout the week, sometimes even several times a day, and after all of that, it just made me realize how I need to obey and respect those put in authority over me. That means obeying and respecting my parents, my boss, and yes, my government. Trust me, just like those kids have a lot to learn about obedience, I do too.

5. Joy is contagious.

My absolute favorite parts of the week were when the kids would be going down the slip'n'slide, or swimming in the pool, or just jamming out to the chapel worship, because when they smiled, when their eyes lit up and you could see the joy they felt, it was so worth all the stress. Their joy gave me joy. It was those moments that made me excited for the time when I would have children of my own.

6. God is good all the time.

This is the most important thing that I learned. I saw just how mean people can be, how hard life is for those who least deserve it and yet I still saw God's mercy and grace. It is so easy to see sin in kids lives because they don't know how to hide it, but as we get older we become sneakier and keep our sins hidden. But just seeing how time after time someone can sin and yet remember that God still loves them was an amazing experience. It has made me see just how unfathomable God's love is for me and just how great his grace is.