Reaching the Bucket

At Wildwood we had a day where we did something called group initiative. It is a challenge you have to work on as a group. In the first challenge we had to get the whole group from one platform to another swinging across on a rope. If anyone touched the ground everyone had to start over. We worked on this for a few hours before we finally got everyone across. About 15 of us. We all felt very proud and accomplished and we thought we were done.

Our leaders then told us we had another GI to work on. This one was much less physical. Starting from one of those platforms we had to use bricks to walk on to get to a tree to get a bucket that was tied to the tree. If a brick touched the ground with no one touching it, we lost the brick. So basically one person would stand on a brick. Then put another brick down and have one foot on each. Then someone else would put one foot on one and the other person could take their foot off, making a path towards the tree. Every time someone messed up and touched the ground, or moved before a new person put their foot on the brick, we had to start over. We continued to lose bricks and had less and less. Finally we made it to the tree. We thought we were done and then realized there was a lock attached to the bucket. We had to find a key to open the lock. It turns out the key was in the opposite direction than we had just come from.

We made our way back with more mistakes and finally got the key. We then had to again make our way towards the tree. The second time was so much harder. We had less bricks. We were tired. We were frustrated. We had to start over again and again and again after we had the key. It seemed like it would never end. But we finally got there. We finally unlocked the lock and got the bucket which was our goal.

I hope I explained this well enough so you could understand what we were doing. There were times of extreme frustration. There were times when we did not think we would make it. Over and over we had to go back to the platform. That was one thing that never changed. The platform was always there and we always had each other.

Later that night, I couldn't believe the similarities between this group initiative and my weight loss and food issues struggle. Try and failing, trying and failing. Starting over again. Thinking I would never succeed but still trying. Thinking it wasn't even possible. Getting to where I thought I needed to be, only to realize I was missing the key. Trying and failing, starting over, but finally, now, I have the key, I have the bucket (metaphorically speaking) and I have finished.

Two more things: in the initiative, the platform was always there. The platform is like God. He does not change and is always there during our struggle. We can always go to Him. The second is, this was something that could not have been done alone. It couldn't have been done even with just me and God. I had to depend on others just like I have needed to while figuring out my food issues.
No matter where you are on your journey. Remember to depend on others, remember to depend on God. Realize that trying and failing just means you need to try again. Success is possible. There is a finish line.