There are seasons where life is hard. A curve ball has been thrown our way and we miss. We stumble under the weight and long for someone bigger than us to carry us. We bend under the weight of rejection, of a sudden death, a job loss, an illness, or you put in your curve ball ...
That someone is often God that we look to and often blame Him for not carrying us or coming through for us like we want it to look like.
The summer of 2018, we as a family spent time with a group of people who run summer camps the month of July for First Nations people. The staff consists of approx 40 young people and families from the States and Canada that give of their time and energy to make this happen. We are a group that come from a varying of backgrounds, cultures, personalities, and stories that have formed and influenced who we.
How do we pull together and become a team??
We start out with 7 1/2 days of training, sessions, and group activities, learning what we should or should not do. Learning relational tips and just information that is helpful to running a camp and working together.
One concept we learn are three aspects of a team - team, individual, and task. These are illustrated with circles. Are the three circles of equal size, are they balanced? Are we so focused on our task that we forget to care for the individual? Are we so focused on what we're doing that we forget we're a part of the team? How do we support a leader? How is the leader fulfilling these areas? Does he designate or do it all himself? and more....
One way that we illustrate this is through TDA's (Team Development Activity). TDA's are intense. They are hard and require skill, focus, and integrity. They usually take an hour and half to 3 hours to complete. A group of 30-35 people choose a leader, learn to work together to accomplish the task, learn how to give ideas and yet support the leader, and the leader learns leading tips, etc. There are specific rules that must be followed and if any are broken or breached there are consequences.
There are two facilitators that choose, guide, and oversee the activity.
These activities are grueling. They are intense and bring out the good and bad inside of you. There are moments of wanting to quit. Then someone comes standing beside you whispers or shouts.... let's keep going? or don't slack off now! or you can do this!
During one particular TDA, a thunderstorm popped up. It rained and it rained. You were uncomfortable, wet, chilled and transporting an object that couldn't touch the ground from one place to another. The rain poured, it became muddy, and still the group walked on.
As an observer and one who wants to be inside during a thunderstorm, I wondered if it was safe or ok to keep going. But I kept such thoughts to myself... Amanda & I were told to meet the group at a designated spot... we waited and we waited... the storm poured and the lightening flashed and the group didn't come.
Finally we wondered if they were still coming or if the exited the lake before the designated spot?
We discovered, indeed, that they were on dry land and had begun the debriefing session. Later in talking to the one facilitator, his comments were, "yes, we were watching the storm. And when the lightening struck the other side of the lake, we made the decision to exit the lake for it was no longer safe."
His comment --- that they were watching the storm, struck me. Because Amanda & I were having no communication with them about the storm, and to be honest, I wasn't truly trusting their decisions to keep going.
And then I thought of my hard times, times when I wonder if God is really trustworthy and paying attention to the 'safety' of my situation... HE IS WATCHING THE STORM.
And I must trust and rest in that truth. He IS watching and cares and when the lightening strikes too close, He cares and He directs.
And, I wonder, how many times Jesus wants to step in to respond to our heart's cry and God says, "He or She must choose. This is a moment for her to choose to love me for Who I am and not what I do This is a moment for a deeper awareness of Who I am."
Jesus as our Intercessor and Advocate restrains because of giving us the characteristic of choice. The choice to trust. The decision to believe by faith. To follow, even if.
But all the while HE IS WATCHING. He is present. He is with us.
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