An insight from the ropes course

Today, the WDT (Worship Development Team), which I am blessed to be a part of, spent the morning participating together in a "ropes course". Little did I know that I would experience something there that I will surely never forget. For simplification reasons, I will simply say that I was blindfolded and had to get from one platform to another without touching the ground. I was the last one left. Everyone else was on the "safe" platform. The team arranged the boards the best that they could for me to cross...and off I went.

I must make the comment that...when you are blind...you can't see anything! That may sound obvious but until you are blind...you cannot understand what that truly means. We had established that Anna would be our contact person as we crossed (two others crossed before me). She would be the one who talked to us and helped us across the dangerous poisonous waters below (really just mulch...you have to play along).

Anyway...as I was crossing the death-defying balance beam of torture, I felt alone. I was reaching out for help in the form of Anna's hand and it was when our hands met that the very concept of safety and comfort actually entered my world again (at least somewhat...you know...with all the poisonous waters rushing just inches below my feet).

Suddenly, the wet boards, which were overlapped to walk across because one was not long enough on its own, slipped off of each other and I tumbled to my demise. I was allowed to go back and try again and we were able to accomplish the task in front of us.

It was not until later that I reflected and imagined watching the whole scene. Tears began to fill my eyes...like most of you know happens quite often. I was overwhelmed with the implications that I could draw off of that simple little occurrance. You see, Anna reached out to help me in need. I needed her to help me get across those boards and she was there. Her voice and her hands were there to help me to salvation (the "safe" board). She extended herself to so far that she fell in on my first attempt with me! She was that vulnerable...for me!

I know...you are thinking...it was just a silly little exercise. It is not like she risked her life for me. First of all, I know I have not known her long...but from what I do know...I am sure it would have been no different if it was a life or death situation. I believe that any one of those men or women on that "safe" platform would have done the same thing. Secondly, I mentioned before that I found implications in this event. That is what struck me so.

I have a picture of the Sistine Chapel's painting "Creation" in my living room. The picture is of the hands of God and Adam. I have heard different peoplesay different things about this picture but I tend to see it as representing our fallenness. You see, God is stretching out for Adam but Adam is hardly trying to reach God. Adam's hand is limp! The focus here for me is on God's outstretched hand. God reaches out for us...He draws us in.

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."
-John 12:32

This is how I see this picture. God will draw us in. He draws us with His love. The love that made Jesus become man. The love that made Jesus resist temptations. The love that made Jesus die on the cross and raise again. The love that reaches out to us now, calling us to Him. The love in the form of a friend's hand reaching out in vulnerability and saying "I will help you to a 'safe' place."

Today...I saw the love of Christ through the hands and voice of a friend. Now, I am faced with the question...who am I reaching out to? Who am I vulnerable for? Who am I embodying the love of Christ for? Am I allowing the Spirit of God to draw people in through me?

Welcome!

Ahhh. A new blog to fill some of the time that I do not have to offer. I have decided to create a separate blog for my own personal rambles and insights in the world of faith. Well...at least my world...that hopefully plays some role in yours.

I have named this post "A Lighted Path" as a testament to our lives. As we all seek to become those children of God that we were created to be, we have the graceful light of Christ to guide us on our journey. Sometimes the light is bright and illuminates everything in front of us and sometimes, maybe it seems more often, the light appears dim. So dim that taking another step involves entering into the unknown. I hope that this blog addresses both our times of great joy in the presence of the radiance of our King as well as the uncertainty of the darkness. No matter the circumstance, it is my desire to find and draw attention to that light. Because no matter how dark it seems there is still light, and Christ is still their.