An Unexpected Experience: Buckeye Boys State

About this time last week I was thinking about packing for Buckeye Boys' State. Being a Boy Scout, doing countless camping trips, which require much packing, the pre-trip stress was setting in. The more and more I thought about it the less I wanted to go. Everything I had heard about Boys State was that it was a lot of learning and not a lot of fun. That it was a year's amount of work and politics in a week. I heard there were a lot of annoying kids, and quite a few "douchebags". Regardless, by Saturday night I was fully packed and ready to head to Bowling Green in the morning.

Thank God I did.

I don't know if my experience was just a fluke (I don't really care if it was or not, to be honest), but everything I heard about BBS was wrong. Although... it did take a few days for me to start enjoying it.

The first few days were as chaotic as can be, and a lot of the counselors were complete jerks. God forbid anyone walk beside another person, everyone had to be walking in completely straight lines and had to learn how to eat a full meal in five minutes or less. If you spoke out of turn, walked too slow, didn't walk in straight lines, or sat down just to relax, "You are WRONG".

The thought most definitely crossed my mind of going home, I didn't want to be there and just get screamed at and stressed out for a week over nothing. I mean, going to bed at midnight and waking up at 6AM everyday for a stressful 18 hour workday isn't exactly what I wanted to do with my vacation. I toughed it out, and the experience that I got out of it was well worth the work.

I ended up being elected the prosecuting attorney for my city, Alberts, after passing the Ohio Bar Exam on my second try. I enjoyed my work and was thankful that my city elected me to defend them in court. I learned a lot on how the court system works in the state of Ohio, and got to prosecute in some pretty fun cases. I learned a lot about responsibility and the benefits of hard work. Our city won 3 out of the 4 honor flags for our county, Konold, during the week.

Although the experience at BBS is supposed to teach you about government, which mine well did, it really taught about life and growing up. These are the sort of things I enjoy.

I'd like to think I took a lot away from BBS.

There were guys from all different walks of life there with me. When I walked into the lounge on my dorm floor, I instantly looked around to see who I could start making friends with to hang out with the rest of the week. I picked out a couple guys that I thought looked like they would fit the group of people that I like, and walked over them and started to make friends. We went around the room and introduced ourselves to the group and started to get to know each other. A couple of the "weird" kids, I decided I would try to avoid as much as I can. I didn't realize that I was judging people, and I don't think many of us realize when we do it, but it is a huge mistake.

By the end of the week I was close with all of the people on my floor. We were all friends. Even the kids I said I wasn't going to hang out with. I found myself talking and laughing and goofing off with a different person every day, every hour for that matter. BBS really taught me that you can't judge anyone before you get to know them.

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
-1 Corinthians 6:12

We did an activity where we got very personal, and in some cases talked about things that we've never talked to anyone about before. It's amazing how many people look like they don't have any problems on the outside, but are truly riddled with anxiety on the inside. This agrees with the precedent that you can never judge anyone. Also, it proved that you are never alone. Whenever I have a problem, and think that nobody understands me, I'll remember that there is somebody I can talk to that has gone through the same thing as me.

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
-Ecclesiastes 1:9

You are never alone.

Many of us admitted that we felt like we weren't worthy of being loved or that we weren't good enough. Everyone was surprised by the amount of people the either felt that or were currently feeling that. I saw al of those people smile just knowing they weren't alone and had people to talk to and encourage them to pick their heads up. I remember the verse:
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
-Matthew 3:17
That proves that somebody always loves you, and that you are always "worth it and good enough" in the eyes of your creator, our God.

At the end of this activity we all cried and hugged it out like any "bros" would do. By this time, we all realized that the week was almost over and that all of these new friends we were making would soon be heading home.What a bittersweet feeling.

I truly believe that with all of the memories of the awesome band playing at all of the nightly assemblies, the fantastic keynote speakers every night, the awful food, the fatigue, the hard work days, the constant city council meetings and monotonous paperwork, I brought home 46 new friends that I will never forget, ones like Mahutma Gumbo, Jimmie Johns and Mormon Judy. 

I had one of the best, if not the best, counselor in the entire program. He recognized that BBS had the opportunity to shape young men into great people as they age. He gave us a lot to think about, and always gave us time to reflect on our time there. He proved to us that reflection is necessary to learn from our past. You cannot learn from something that happened to you if you don't take the time to think about it. He read us a story every night at our nightly city meeting, and they really hit home and helped us reflect on the activities of our day. Here are some of the stories he read us, see what you can get out of them.

Who I am Makes A Difference
The Starfish Story
The Stonecutter

In conclusion of the matter, I'm very thankful that I didn't come home part way through the week, or completely decide not to go. I honestly had "The Time of My Life" and thought that it was "A Week to Shape A Lifetime".

If you ever have the opportunity to go, or have the opportunity to send a son, take it. You won't regret it.

Here is the map of where all of my dorm mates we from. Everywhere

City Council and City Officials. "Alberts, it's just where it's at."

"God Bless you, and God Bless America"
-Mayor Mauer

You Are Your Limit

“The Sky Is The Limit”

This is an everyday phrase among all people in the world today, but is it true? Obviously the phrase is saying that “there is no limit”, and when used to describe a person it means that the person has no ceiling to what they achieve.

I’ll digress from the main question of this post to explain the title of my blog. The poem about the oyster and the eagle was read at my Eagle Scout Ceremony, and although it’s all nice and fluffy for such an occasion that someone is given an award named “Eagle Scout”, this poem holds meaning in everyday life.

Think about the Eagle. 

It is given essentially nothing. It was given life from its parents, and is given air to breathe, that’s it. It has to fight for its life everyday, and struggle to find food and shelter. It has to hide its young from the environment to keep the species alive, and if something goes wrong, quitting is a death sentence.

Now think about the oyster. As it says in the poem, it is given everything from the beginning. Its home is the shell. Food flows into the oyster’s mouth on command. The oyster does not have to struggle for anything in its life, and ends up with the essentials that the eagle has to fight for everyday: food, shelter and water.  

Being the lazy people that we are, without much thought, we would say that the lifestyle of the oyster seems much easier than the life of the eagle, therefore we would want that life.

Now think of the limits of the oyster.

The oyster can never be better than the shell it lives in. It has the same home everyday. The oyster has no choice of what it eats, just whatever flows into its mouth. It sees the same things everyday. The eagle determines where it lives. If has enough “want to”, it can find the highest point on a mountain and build its nest there. It chooses what it sees everyday, possibly everything around it. On that highest point of the mountain, the eagle makes its watchtower and stands guard over everything around it. INCLUDING the oyster.

How does all of that apply in our lives?

We've been given the choice to determine what kind of person we are. Each and every one of us has the choice between being an oyster or an eagle.

So here I wrap the point of this post back into this, what limits does the eagle have? He can do anything he wants from his lookout atop the mountainside. When he’s bored he can take flight, and sore through the sky. A view unlike any other (A bird’s eye view, per say) with the horizon miles away. What does the oyster do when it starts to feel sedentary? It has no choice but to sit there.

You have the choice

In the lives that we live, it is a normal human desire to want recognition. Recognition socially, physically and in an educational manner. This is entirely human and normal. There are so many awards to win, so many games to win and so many people to impress. Think about the last time you were recognized publicly, didn't that feel great? What happened to the feeling a few weeks later? It disappeared just like your awards will disappear in your closet. Does winning awards make you an eagle? Does that eliminate all limits?

We can run. Some people run for fun, and some people run because their coaches tell them to, or their drill sergeant didn't like the way they made their bed. Marathon runners go to the limits of the human body. 26 miles is no walk in the park, more of a run through a city. The winner of a marathon crosses the finish line and has to sit down and recover for days before feeling 100 percent. The award looks good on the wall, but does it mean that you have no limits? A HUMAN can’t run forever, therefore there is a limit.

Emphasis on the word “Human”

There are many examples like the ones above that I could give, but I’ll save you the time and get straight to the point. The Eagle has no limits, just like Christ had no limits. He healed people, performed miracles, walked on water, and was brought back from the dead. All of these things go far beyond human limits.

Does that mean that you have to be Jesus to exceed limits? No.

A relationship with God is all that you need.

I see this in my everyday life. I've won many awards, boxes full. Done many things worthy of merit, and gone to many limits. All of the recognition from the people around me has felt great, but faded quickly.

The recognition from God never fades.

God does not recognize you for your grade point average, He doesn't recognize you for your athletic ability or secret talent. He recognizes you for your righteousness. For loving Him. I feel that recognition more and more everyday and let me tell you it feels amazing.

Does the body have limits? Yes, the flesh is sinful and deteriorates. The marathon runner feels this as he goes to the extreme to win his race. Can God not change the runner’s limits? Can the Lord, the one who created the earth, universe, stars, you and me, change and heal your body at the drop of a hat? Wouldn't this erase all of your limits? I do believe so. Many people think that the instantaneous healing of the human body is not possible.

YOU CAN SEE IT. And this is another example of how you set your own limits. Saying that it is not possible to be healed by God is limiting Him. That limits you. If you do not believe that God can do something, He won’t. This is a beautiful example of how you set your own limits.

Let’s come to the conclusion of the matter.

The only way that a person can become an eagle, is by asking God to take his limits away. The recognition you receive from just admitting that God is your Lord and that Christ died on the cross for your sins is so great, it’s stupid to not admit it.

You get to chose where your limits are. You can hold yourself to the limits of the oyster, or unleash your true potential by letting yourself be overwhelmed with the HOLY SPIRIT and find a love for God. THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

 God makes you an Eagle.

Not even the "sky is the limit". 

This is how God thinks about you, His son:

“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” –Matthew 3:17