When God Gives Something, He Gives It for Good
There's something extraordinary about serving on a Young Life camp program team. You get this front-row seat to transformation, watching teenagers step off buses (or in this case a boat) with crossed arms and guarded hearts, trying their best not to look interested in whatever's about to unfold. But then, day after day, something beautiful happens. Laughter breaks through. Walls crumble. By the final evening, you'll see those same arms wrapped around their leaders, and some of these kids saying “yes” to Jesus for the very first time. It's wild. It's sacred. And it never loses its power to amaze.
Last month, I witnessed one of these transformations up close with a high school girl named Jenny while on Program Team at Malibu. She was sweet but clearly wrestling with her own insecurities, which showed up in how she dressed and occasionally in some pushback she gave our leadership team throughout the week. But there she was on the final night, standing at Say-So to share that she had decided to give her life to Jesus. The joy in that moment was infectious - all of us were so happy to see her take that brave step of faith.
She knew me as “Rowdy,” a boisterous Young Life staff member in a costume, bringing entertainment and fun throughout the day.
After Say-So ended, I lingered in the club room as kids slowly made their way out. Jenny approached me with the biggest grin and playfully asked, "Rowdy, can I have your hat?" In that moment, I felt something I can only describe as a nudge from the Lord - clear and unmistakable: "Give it to her, and be quick about it."
Without hesitation, I smiled and said, "Jenny, you bet." I took off my hat with genuine joy and handed it to her. The look on her face was priceless,a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Are you sure?" she asked with a nervous laugh. "Of course, Jenny. The hat is yours," I replied, then headed backstage to grab a few things before our next event.
Moments later, as I made my way back through the lingering crowd, Jenny suddenly appeared in front of me with that same nervous smile. She pressed the hat against my chest and said, "You can have it. I feel too bad." Inside the hat, I discovered a note that read: "Thank you for the hat, but I feel too bad. I'll have God for the memories."
Looking up at her, I smiled and said, "Jenny, I saw you stand up at Say-So tonight. The moment you chose to believe in Jesus was the very moment the Holy Spirit made His home in your heart. I have that same Spirit living in me. When you asked for this hat, I heard God's voice telling me to give it to you. It's yours now. And here's the thing about God - when He gives you something, He never asks for it back. Take this hat as a reminder that God wants good things for you."
I placed the hat back in her hands. This time, with tears in her eyes, she received it with pure joy.
Jenny taught me something I still forget sometimes: When God gives you something, His grace, His Spirit, His abundance, even a hat, He means it. He doesn't take it back.
Yet how often do we respond to His goodness by saying, "Thank you for the opportunity, but I feel too bad"? Or "Thank you for the provision, but I'm not sure I deserve it"? Or "Thank you for this role, but someone else probably belongs here more than me"?
This is a kind of spiritual poverty - assuming God's good gifts come with strings attached, that we must earn them or eventually give them back. But that's not the God we encounter in Jesus. The God we serve gives with joy. He gives for keeps.
He gave His Son. He gave us His Spirit. And He's still giving- every week, in every cabin, at every Say-So.
You are part of that story. Your giving has made it possible for students like Jenny to experience camp, to hear Jesus' voice, and to say yes to Him. You've helped create moments where kids feel seen, known, and loved so deeply that even a borrowed hat becomes holy ground.
So let me ask you: What's the "hat" God's been trying to give you? Is there some part of His goodness you've been pushing away? What if today is the moment to finally receive it—not with guilt or hesitation, but with joy?
Because when God gives something, He gives it for good.
Written by Jonathan Drinkwine.