Sacred spaces transcend place. There's something intangibly otherworldly that defines a sacred space. So it was July 1st at a chapel in Northern Alabama. I'd heard tell of this sacred space made so by its physical beauty but, moreover, by what took place there. This compelled me to experience firsthand the Hope Heals Camp Talent Show.
"Talent show" evokes memories of school auditoriums filled with earnest youngsters demonstrating their talents. This was something else altogether. To be sure, there was a stage and there were earnest youngsters and there was talent. Picture, however, a chapel overflowing with 500 people ready to cheer on everyone who graced the stage. My daughter's gymnastics routine met with the most full-bodied cheer I've ever witnessed. Grown men were jumping up and down, silently pumping their fists in the air since Miriam requested a silent cheer. Plenty of participants requested loud cheers and those raised the roof.
Two acts in particular have stayed with me, two weeks hence. A young man and an older man came onto stage, the elder wheeling the younger who had limited use of his arms. A praise song came on and the young man began bobbing his head. When the chorus came, his arms rose and he vocalized the lyrics as he was able. The crowd exploded in cheers. His camp squad flooded the stage for the his final song to wheel, sing, and dance along. The inter-ability joy emanating from that stage palpably filled the chapel.
The second act that stuck with me consisted of a young girl and a young woman dancing together. Each dancer modeled steps the other repeated. It was as sweet as you'd imagine. What really got me was learning the story behind that dance. The young girl has taken ballet lessons for awhile. She lives with a disability and has always stood at the back of her class. When it comes time to perform, she stands in the back, facing away from the audience due to some combination of nervousness and self-consciousness. In a seismic shift, this girl decided to get on stage, face her audience, and dance with such rapture that we felt her gladness, basking in the gleam of her smile.
This is but a glimpse of the magic of Hope Heals Camp. To distill it a bit further, this is what happens when everyone is welcome, when barriers are broken down, when we delight in the talents of others. This is a foretaste of heaven.