Praise, Trust, Hope, Justice, and Celebration

During the summer of 2010 I was a canoe guide in the boundary waters for a camp called Wilderness Wind. While I was employed (more of a volunteer position) I worked as a trip guide but also did work around the camp as a cook, greenskeeper, gardner, maid, and construction worker.  It was a fantastic experience that taught me a lot about myself and also was a factor in me rejoining my faith and walking along my life path.

Working as a guide was also a wonderful thing because I was fortunate enough to be able to spend my summer out on the lake in a canoe, portaging beautiful trails, and seeing wonderful sights like this wonderful sunset.

A beautiful sunset from one of many.

One part of the trip guide position was to provide a daily devotion-like session that would spark thought and conversation within the group on the water.  The setup for this was to provide a brief reading or quote that would take a minute or two and then break for 10-15 minutes of solo silence in the woods and reconvene for the start of the day.  In the evening we would end the day with conversation about the reading and what our thoughts were during the solo silence and throughout the day's journey.  One week I focused on Psalm 146 breaking this up into the five day trip.



Day 1: 1-2:  Praise the Lord.
                    Praise the Lord, O my soul.
                    I will prise the Lord all my life,
                    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

The focus for this day was to think about Praise.  One of the most common reasons people would venture into the boundary waters is to escape the lifestyle they live, if only for a brief moment in time.  In order to really bring this experince home it is necessary to remember the reason for living, the reason for joy in life, and the reason to find faith even through the darkest of times.

Day 2: 3-4:  Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
                    When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
                    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

The focus for this day is to place that emphasis of Trust not in people, but in God's plan.  There are many ways to interpret what is written but I like to think that there are some instances that do require trust in people, but there is a strong faith component involved and comes from trust in God.  A good part of each day on the water involves cooking, packing, canoeing, and portaging.  Many of these tasks require assistance and so you must trust in others to assist you through each step, but there must be trust in God to provide you with the strength and knowledge to push you along the way.

Day 3: 5-6:   Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
                     whose hope is in the Lord his Gob,
                     the Maker of heaven and earth,
                     the sea, and everything in them-
                     the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

Scott Russell Sanders was the author of a book I read while at this camp.  One quote I found interesting was "Hope and hop come from the same root word - to leap up in expectation."  I like this quote because I feel like that is what you have to do with Hope.  You must leap up and let yourself be out there in order to gain the most.  One of the best ways to maintain a strong sense of hope is to have your faith in God and let yourself follow the one who will remain faithful forever, the one who created everything.

Day 4: 7-9:  He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. 
                    The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind,
                    the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
                    the Lord loves the righteous. 
                    The Lord watches over the alien
                    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
                    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

A great part about these few verses is that it shows you that if you follow the word, you will recieve all of the greatness and glory.  It is often a struggle to follow your own values constantly, but with those, you are able to find that forever, you are able to look at your life and see that God provides for you if you are true to Him.  Likewise, if you are wicked he will frustrate your life more. 

A more instant example to real life is that during this trip there are many real struggles, like trying to carry a 100 pound canoe and a 50 pound pack down the portage trail.  While working with each other you are able to link all of the previous day points along with Justice in the sense that you are about to accomplish a major task in the weeklong journey through the boundary waters.

Day 5: 10: The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.

A cause for celebration. A celebration of life, of existence, of the day.  This final day is an exciting time because all of the effort from the week has taken you to the end of the journey and hopefully sparked a new interest and view of life.  The final day is a celebration of nature, of life, and of teamwork and friendships that hopefully have become stronger through this trip.

The end of the trail (or pond).

Through several weeks of guiding I was able to expand my own views and perspectives all while encouraging those of others.  In the end it became a great part of my life and hopefully I will be able to continue giving to others like I had all of that summer.