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).
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.
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