Authority

One of my all time favorite movies is Hot Rod. I don’t know what it is about it, but I can watch that movie at any time and just laugh all the way through it.

There is a scene in Hot Rod where a new girl has just joined “the gang.” Two of the guys in the gang (Dave and Rico) are talking about the new addition (while filling up a pool to practice a stunt). Dave is trying to convince Rico to open his mind up by telling him an old Proverb. Rico responds by spraying Dave in the face in a hose and telling him “Don’t you ever tell me how to live my life.”

Sometimes I felt like in college (or the two times I was on Summer Staff) that quickly became my mantra. “Don’t you ever tell me how to live my life.” Submitting to authority often feels like a complicated subject to a college student. You guys are, for many of you for the first time, on your own. You have very few people who “tell you how to live your life.” People don’t tell you when and where to be and what you can and cannot do. You function as independent people.

In my experience, this is one of the biggest challenges of being on Summer Staff. All of a sudden 45 adults who are not used to functioning “under authority” are put in a situation where they must. Often people have problems with authority. The complicated part is that a lot of people don’t figure out that they have a problem with authority until they’re put under authority. You will be forced to deal with this in some way during our 15 days together.

On a battlefield, the only way to function is to follow a chain of command. This time at Rockbridge will very much be a battle. We are fighting for the very souls of middle school students. The enemy will want to do everything he can to pick that apart. One of the tools he’ll quickly use is the issue of authority.

Similar to a battlefield, people in authority will not always have the time to explain to you why they expect you to do something/follow a certain rule. You will not always agree with their decisions. Submitting to authority is a difficult but crucial lesson that we all must learn in life.

Hebrews 13:17 says “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

“Obey them so that their work will be a joy.” You will have quite a few people above you – Summer Staff Coordinators, interns, the program team, full time camp staff, etc. By agreeing to come on our Summer Staff, you are agreeing to submit yourself to the authority above you during your time at camp. How are you going to respond when someone tells you to do something? How are you going to respond to tighter regulations on the way you live than you are use to having? The way you respond to authority will set the tone for the time at Rockbridge.

Spend some time over the next few weeks praying and preparing your heart for this. You alone control your attitude towards authority. The way you respond to authority will make a huge impact on our entire time together.