What I learned during CIT summer
Last summer, I participated in a seven-week counselor-in-training (CIT) leadership program with seven other girls at a camp for Christian Scientists in Maine.
Since this was our final summer in a cabin together, we made it our mission to spend as much time together as possible. This included chatting the night away.
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As much as I loved the other girls, though, I wasn’t fully on board with the late-night conversations. I was often tired after days full of activities and would go to bed . . . only to be kept awake by my cabinmates, who were frequently rowdy at night. Many times, I tried to politely ask them to quiet down, before finally letting my temper get the best of me and raising my voice. Still, for most of the summer, nothing changed.
Many times, I politely asked my cabinmates to quiet down, before finally letting my temper get the best of me.
One morning, during our CIT meeting, we sang a hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal. The first verse says,
Speak gently, it is better far
To rule by love than fear;
Speak gently, let no harsh word mar
The good we may do here.
(David Bates, No. 315)
I realized that in my efforts to get some sleep, I had been so frustrated that I’d forgotten that our words and actions should always express love. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures emphasizes this point when it says, “The vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 113). I realized that no matter how annoyed I was in any situation, I should always express Love, God, by being loving, patient, and kind. And, in this situation, I could also understand that my cabinmates’ behavior was based only on love for one another and for the time we got to spend together.
I realized that in my efforts to get some sleep, I had gotten so frustrated that I’d forgotten that our words and actions should always express love.
The message really hit home when we sang the hymn again at the camp’s weekly testimony meeting later that day, and I committed myself to putting it into practice during the last weeks of the summer.
From then on, I made it my goal to cherish those nights and participate in the conversations instead of trying to shut them down. Loving my cabinmates turned out to be a big blessing for me, and I didn’t even feel tired.
I am very grateful for this opportunity to grow in patience and grace.