Lurecrest Stories

Grace. A word so sweet to the tongue. A word that has changed mankind for all eternity. A word that reminds us each day of our salvation. A word that has the power to bring the unworthy soul to its knees and glorify its creator in Heaven. A word so simple, yet it contains so much depth and so much strength. A word, so pure, that represents “33 years of perfection.” It is, by far, the most beautiful word I know.

I remember so vividly the night I truly came to understand this precious word. I was four years into my faith journey and in the midst of a raging battle against my desire to be perfect. I was afraid to fall and afraid to fail…afraid to disappoint our Lord and Savior. I yearned for his approval, for the “gold star,” for the “blue ribbon.” I wanted to be the “model Christian” who appeared unaffected by the immoral temptations of the world… I wanted something that was impossible to achieve.

On this particular night, I would be found at Camp Lurecrest, a place of familiarity, a place I often refer to as my second home. It was my first summer on staff and I was working as a cross-trainer. It had been a humbling and eye-opening experience to say the least. I had spent the last three weeks serving and attempting to invest in the lives of an abundance of precious children. I had formed friendships that are so dear to me to this day, as each person uniquely encouraged me in my faith journey.

I had also spent the last three weeks listening to devotions led by our beloved Jerry Martin. How insightful his words, all from God and all rich in the Gospel. I was particularly overwhelmed each time he would talk about grace (which was always), and I remember having the sensation of a barrier slowly breaking down inside of me. Specifically, I was being reminded of the truth that as humans, we are naturally sinners. I was reminded that there was nothing I could do to deserve salvation…to deserve to spend eternity in Heaven. I was reminded that my “perfect” would never really be “perfect…” that I would never be good enough. Being reminded of hard truths such as these crushed me. As a perfectionist, it pained me to hear that I could do nothing…NOTHING! I felt helpless and confused. If my good would never be good enough, how was I supposed to live my life for God? How was I supposed to guarantee my salvation? I was speechless.

But then there was more. There was a second part to these hard truths…and this next part was breath-taking. It was the reminder of a wooden cross and a man who hung upon it over 2,000 years ago. It was the reminder of a sacrifice, so magnificent and so full of love that there are no right words to accurately describe its greatness. It was the reminder that we are free in our sweet, sweet Jesus Christ…that he has bridged the gap between us and our Father in Heaven. It was the reminder that in Him, we are blameless and spotless before God…that we are loved and bound to Him for all eternity. It was the reminder that instead of living our lives to seek the approval of God, that we should instead live them in loving response to all He has done…to all He has given us.

So on this night, as the rest of the camp appeared to be sleeping peacefully, everything I had was being taught, all that God was trying to get across to me, drove right into my heart and broke down every misconception I had been holding onto. It came so fast that I was caught off guard, and while the initial hit was sharp, the settling of it all was one of the greatest feelings I have ever felt. It was peace… it was love…it was clarity…it was GRACE.

That night, my life was drastically shaken. I cried, I prayed, I glorified…I was changed forever. It never ceases to amaze me, the ability God has to completely rock our world. Just when we think we have it all figured out, that we don’t need his help, He is there to put things back into perspective. No matter which way you look at it, when you are one with Christ everything goes back to the cross. Everything is centered around the precious truth that Christ “lived the life we could not live and died the death we should have died…” and through Him, we are saved. Thanks be to God and thanks be to Grace!

Kelly Russell

Former Camper, Cross-Trainer, and Lifeguard