Spiritual lessons from a canoe trip
I spent last summer as a counselor-in-training at a summer camp for Christian Scientists.
The training included a five-day canoe trip down a sixty-mile section of a rapid-filled river. In preparation, I prayed. I thought about the spiritual theme chosen by the camp for that summer, which was “Shepherd, show me how to go,” the first line of a poem by Mary Baker Eddy (Poems, p. 14).
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In the poem, the word Shepherd refers to God. I knew that since God is my Shepherd, I am His sheep—which means I am naturally receptive to my Shepherd’s goodness and direction. To me, praying to be shown “how to go” meant, throughout the trip, trusting in God, loving those around me, and expressing Godlike qualities, such as strength, wisdom, and support for my fellow counselors-in-training.
Praying to be shown “how to go” meant trusting in God throughout the trip, loving those around me, and expressing Godlike qualities, such as strength, wisdom, and support for my fellow counselors in training.
On the first day, just as we were about to launch the canoes, a local warned us that the river was much higher than usual and would likely be unsafe to canoe. However, because we trusted in our abilities and the camp’s forethought and research into the safety of the trip, we assured him we would be fine. A little while later, he came back and insisted that if we were his daughters, he would under no circumstances let us canoe this river at this time. But I intuitively felt that his concern came less from the condition of the river and more from the fact that a group of girls was about to take on a difficult task independently.
I remembered our spiritual theme and that part of my role was to love others because God is Love, and I reflect Him. This allowed me to step back from my frustration and assure this man that we were all competent canoers. This seemed to satisfy him, and he dropped his objection.
Only a few minutes later, though, the man’s friend showed up with similar concerns and shared stories about groups that had gone out and been unsuccessful. Because a second person had now advised us to turn back, we began to doubt our ability to execute the trip.
While we wanted to be wise, it also became clear that we didn’t need to base our decision on fear. I knew that part of praying for God to show us “how to go” was trusting God and knowing that He is in control of every situation. There is absolutely nothing outside of God’s care. This thought gave us the confidence to embark on our trip, and as it turned out, we were completely capable of conquering both the river and the rapids.
The trip continued to show us God’s goodness. At one point, we were about to begin a two-mile portage that involved carrying our canoes and gear around a dam. This would have been a very difficult endeavor for most of our group and would have added a couple of hours to our journey. But the moment we finished packing up our gear, a couple of people working at the dam came with pickup trucks and offered to carry our canoes for us. They ended up taking us farther down the river than we would have gotten on foot, proving that our divine Shepherd provides abundantly.
The trip continued to show us God’s goodness.
Another example was a day when it seemed like there was no place for us to camp. We paddled down the river for miles, finding only muddy or marshy banks. As we began to stress, our counselor reminded us that we could trust that, under God’s good government, all would be well and that we just needed to listen for “how to go.” As we focused on gratitude for all the joy we had felt on the trip, we came across a massive beach that was the perfect campground.
As I look to the year ahead, I remember that “Shepherd, show me how to go” is an idea I can apply to my daily life, too. It’s a simple reminder that I don’t need God to tell me what’s around every corner. I just need to trust that as I recognize, give gratitude for, and live God’s goodness, I’ll be perfectly led.