A “trust walk” is staple at church camp. It is another way of trying to get kids to see without their eyes.
Permit me to explain: One kid gets blindfolded and is led through the wilderness guided only by a partner’s voice. With phrases like, “Take two baby steps to the left” and “Take four giant steps straight ahead,” the kids navigate through the rocks, trees, and shrubs. It’s as comical as it is scary.
Some kids can’t handle the assignment and try to sneak peeks.
Others flat out refuse to be put into such a vulnerable situation. The kids who do try often stumble and extend their hands groping out to find some sense of security. “I didn’t like it,” one youngster offered. “It’s scary going where you can’t see.” Another didn’t go very far, adding, “I was afraid I was going to fall, so I kept taking baby steps to be safe.”
That activity reminds of the pandemic. We grownups don’t like venturing into the unknown wilderness, either. And like those campers, we often take timid steps, so we won’t fall. We’ve a reason to be cautious: We’re blind; We can’t see the future; We have absolutely no vision beyond the present.
I can’t tell you with any certainty that I will live long enough to finish this article. (Whew, I made it!). Nor can you tell me you’ll live long enough to read it. (I hope you do). It is in our blindness that you and I are called to ministry. And like those campers in the wilderness, we can take baby steps, we can cheat (by peeking), or we can just sit still and do nothing by refusing to participate.
OR we can take four giant steps forward! Guided just by God’s voice, our senses alive and aware in a world with thousands of distractions, we can choose to step out in faith.
We are not taking off this summer! Solar panels are being installed on our sanctuary roof as I type this letter. Our Feet-N-More Shower Trailer ministry is going out to more and more sites. We’re taking some giant steps into the unknown future! We’re going to walk amongst the rocks, trees, and shrubs! Thus, we may stumble, but if we do, we shall get up and take another step…and another and another.
One final thought from the seeing-with-your-eyes-closed department. I usually ask the campers how they could hear their guide’s voice on a Trust Walk with all the distractions.
One answer came back: “I just concentrated and listened as hard as I could.” That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to concentrate and listen as hard as we can to God as we move onward. We’ve talked the talk, now, we’ll be called to walk the walk!