| Saturday, January 21, 2006 |
| Lessons Learned |
Friday night, H, the boys and I spent time with Cub Scout Pack 584 at Wesley Woods in Townsend. We arrived at 6 PM -- just in time for the weenie roast. We spent the night in the lodge and spent all day today hiking, playing and learning. I know all of the boys enjoyed the time because none ever lost a smile all day. They also learned valuable lessons that will give them a good foundations on which to build as they grow older. But I learned something, too.
Specifically, I learned three things:
1. Remember how Paul of the Bible sometimes exhorted new believers to do as he did? "And you should follow my example..." (1 Cor. 11:1, TLB). "Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and saw me doing..." (Phil. 4:9, TLB). Nothing seems to ruffle my feathers more than someone telling me how to do something. It stings my ego fiercely because I wrongfully assume that they are doing so because they think I'm ignorant of the subject matter. But I spent last night and all day today instructing boys on map reading, etiquette, inclement weather safety and teamwork. Seems ironic, doesn't it? Or would "sardonic" be better?
That was an important lesson for me. I'm amazed that I'm approaching thirty-something and have just now come to that point of learning. I have to keep in mind that there are people who know more than me on certain subjects -- just like I know more about orienteering than a cub scout.
2. The second thing that I learned was that the Bible is like a map. I know it sounds like jargon, but it's true.
We spent this morning instructing the Cub Scouts in map reading, terrain identification and very basic orienteering. The "final exam" included an outdoor orienteering course with maps, scorecards and checkpoints. We were given eight checkpoints and told to go find 'em. But we were warned that there were decoy checkpoints on the course and we were not to be deceived by them.
What a wonderful object lesson! The first three checkpoints were easy to locate. But the third one threw off our small group of three boys and two adults. After passing the lagoon, we found a trailhead and started down the path as the map indicated. Immediately crossing a creek, the boys screamed, "There it is! There it is!" Yep, there was a checkpoint. I stopped the boys as they were reaching for the marker and asked them to check the map to see if it made sense. The boys were convinced that this checkpoint was the correct one and wouldn't listen. After a minute or two of salesmanship on my part, they oriented the map to North, traced our route and ... gasp! ... discovered that this checkpoint couldn't be right. We needed to cross the creek again. Sure enough, after the next creek crossing, we found the right one.
This went on and on for the rest of the exercise. By the time we were down to only needing two more checkpoints, other groups decided that they would try to deceive us. I was so proud of my boys! They'd shrug off the attempts, check the map and turn and explain to me that the deceptions and decoys couldn't be right because the map showed otherwise.
On our way back from the farthest checkpoint I told them that I'd heard that the Bible was like a map. They caught on immediately and completed the thought. "Satan," one of them said, "will try to deceive you and put decoys in your way. But if you read the Bible, God will tell you what is right."
I needed that lesson today, too.
3. Boys learn through fun and play.
By the end of the day, I was beat. I slept very light last night and, therefore, woke up about every hour or so. Also a group of 6- to 10-year olds tugging me around all day with "Look at me," and "Watch this" drove me weary. Sometimes when I get tired, I see upcoming events as boxes that I have to check. Do this ... check. Do that ... check. Get it done and get home. By doing that today, I ruined Jacob and Ethan's learning time for about a 30-minute time period.
They were tired just as I was and were complaining a bit. I went into check-the-box mode and turned off the fun and instruction switch. I recognize my wrong now. I wish I had done so early.
Now, I'm on my way back home to apologize. I owe it to them.... |
posted by Joe Napalm @ 4:19 PM   |
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