For the past two months I have had “extra” stuff I had to do after work and on the weekends. Life can be busy and sometimes crazy with just the “normal” stuff that has to get done. But when you add all the extra stuff that comes up, life can feel too busy. Looking ahead to September I feel a slight sigh of relief, as my calendar looks less busy.

Doug Creamer writes a religion column for the SNAP.

Some of the extra stuff was good, like family time. My newlywed niece came east to join her family at the beach for a week. There was a family gathering to celebrate the couple since some of us were unable to attend their wedding in Idaho. It was great to spend time with them. I also got the chance to meet my nephew’s new girlfriend.

The best part of spending time with these four young adults is to see the fire and passion they have for life. Each of them has a heart to make a positive difference in the lives of the people God puts in their path. Their love and desire to serve God is evident in their eyes and their words. It was both a blessing and an encouragement to my spirit to spend time with each of them and to hear their positive outlook on life and the future.

I had another opportunity to spend some time with young people last week. My boss asked if I could help judge some fifth graders to determine who would get to attend Ron Clark’s Leadership Academy. The fifth graders were given multiple tasks to do while being judged by multiple groups of adults. Right there I would have flunked as a fifth grader. Not these kids! The students that I evaluated spent three minutes in another room learning a skill, and then they had to come into my room and teach that skill to a sixth-grade student they had never met. These fifth graders walked into the room with poise and confidence. Most walked up to me with great eye contact and introduced themselves. They asked me my name and shook my hand.

Then they proceeded to teach the skill that they had just learned. Obviously, they performed the task in varying abilities, but they all did a very good job. I was hugely impressed by these young people. How could these fifth graders develop such confidence? I believe that the school bought into a program that will change the trajectory of all the students’ lives. They are teaching skills like how to get along with others, how to include everyone and leave no one behind, how to help others live up to their potential, and how to be a great team member, knowing that each member plays an important part of the success of everyone.

This school is teaching fifth graders how to be great role models for the younger students. Can you imagine the impact that will have on their community? There are some future corporate leaders being molded in that school, movers and shakers, people who will become shining examples for their employees and the companies they lead.

I wish I had the confidence these young people have when I was in fifth grade. Can you imagine the difference we could make if we had that kind of confidence in our faith? What would happen if we could lead lost people to Jesus through our confidently shared example? Imagine the impact if every person stuck in sin would encounter the love of God confidently shining through us.

We have the light! We have the hope they need! We know the way! We have the truth inside of us! We know and have experienced the love and acceptance of God; how might our communities change if we let that flow through us like rivers of living water? We need to believe in ourselves like those fifth graders. The lost need to see the love of God in our eyes. They need to hear our positive outlook in a future filled with hope and promise.

I want to encourage you to believe in yourself and in the testimony of God’s work in your life. He has revealed Himself to you and proven His love and faithfulness to you. Now we need to let our lights shine in the darkness. We need to believe that our testimony is worthy to be shared. We have trusted God and seen Him come through for us. When we confidently share our story, it will touch and change lives in ways we cannot imagine.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com