Leaping Ahead
If I could have done the lily pads first, I think I could have finished by myself. But, not after being dragged down a hill into cold muddy water while losing tug-of-war. Not after crawling on my hands and knees through a rocky mud pit. Not after sliding over and swimming under poles through orange mud. Not after climbing up a muddy slide and being hurled face-down into the mud on the other side. Not after jumping into a bottomless ice-cold mud pool and then pulling myself up on a rope with knots. Not after walking across a slippery pole, climbing across a 10 foot cargo net and then locking arms with my team to go back across the slippery pole. After all that, the lily pads were just too much for me.
When we reached them, my team held a considerable lead. Adam went first, He jumped across the large, round lily pad floats with no problem. Nick, Blake, Caroline, Taylor, Amber – they all made their way across. Some hopped from one to the next with no problem. Some missed and had to go back one before they could move one. They all jumped ahead of me. But I couldn’t make it to the 2nd lily pad without falling off.
Again and again I tried. Wade to the shore and climb on the pad. Try to balance there. Wait for the 2nd pad to get close enough. Wait. Wait. JUMP! Splash! Hit the water. Swim back to first pad and start over.
The blue team caught up to me and passed me. I sat on that first lily pad and watched my team mates jump up and down, trying to cheer me on. They were finished and ready to move on.
At this point I was feeling pretty deserted. Wasn’t this supposed to be a TEAM event? Weren’t the young athletic teenagers supposed to help us old women along? If I sat here long, we would certainly lose. So, I yelled, “MY TEAM DESERTED ME!”
I don’t know if they heard me or if the crowd on the shore told them to go back and help, but all 6 of them came splashing back to rescue me. They pulled the lily pads together so I could just crawl over them without jumping. This worked and I soon caught up to the blue team. I can’t tell you how awesome it felt to be surrounded by my team knowing they were there to help me.
The blue team seemed to all be on one pad, except for Collie who was trying to bridge the two together until everyone made it across. I jumped on the Collie bridge, much to his surprise, and pulled myself to the next pad. We were done and on to the last event, paddle the boat to the finish line.
My team only won by 10 seconds and only because the blue team let go of their boat and didn’t get it on shore fast enough. Emily said it was the closest finish in Mud Race history. Whew!
That night in family talk back time, our conversation was a flurry of excitement retelling the day’s events. Everyone had their challenges, I guess, but I was the one who wouldn’t have made it if it hadn’t been for my team coming back. How relieved I was to have their help and their support. There is something special about team support, knowing you’re surrounded by those who will help you.
As we talked, we began to realize that out there in the real world we’re probably running ahead of some people. We go to church. We know Jesus as our savior. We’re feeling pretty good about being in the lead. But, what about those stuck back there on the lily pads. Maybe they don’t know our Jesus. Maybe they can’t get ahead because they don’t know Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Maybe they won’t ever get to the heavenly finish line if we don’t go back and hold the lily pads together for them.
Leadership Training 2007.
We’re called to be leaders.
My team realized sometimes being a leader doesn’t mean running ahead. Sometimes being a leader means going back and helping those who can’t find their way.
Nick said, “So, Ms. Jennifer, leaving you back on the lily pads was the best thing we could have done today, wasn’t it?”
I said, “Yes,” because I think we all walked away thinking about someone we need to go back and get.
