“Everyone, your task is to get your team and the horse across the river. There are piranhas as well, good luck!” That was all the instruction we were given concerning our task. Our team consisted of 24 people and the horse. We had all signed up for ethics training at an equine therapy facility to meet our Continued Education requirements for the year. We had never met one another until this day. A mixture of personalities were in the group, some leaders, some followers, some go-getters, and some just going with the flow.
Standing in a large circle in the area (avoiding the areas marked for the river by our instructor), we discussed our plan of attack. The horse, Destined, was munching on some grass and was absolutely no help in our goal. The task seemed rather large to us. A gap marked to be the river was a good 15 feet across and with so many people and a horse that would rather be eating, it felt nearly impossible. We broke our large team into smaller groups.
The group I was in was in charge of rounding up as many things in the area that we could use to help us build “platforms” to cross. We gathered square water jugs, pool noodles, and hula hoops to make raft-like structures to jump. Our team leader began placing the objects in the “river” to make a path for us and the horses. It was a daunting task, with large leaps and careful balancing… and we may have cheated with the horse, as he may not have always stepped on the makeshift path. We did, after a good 20 minutes, get the whole team and the horse across the river.
After we were successful at our task, our instructor came by to congratulate us on our victory. Can you hear my sarcasm?
The instructor proceeded with the following: “I have a story for y’all. Would you believe the fastest team to complete this was a group of 7-year-olds? They were done in 5 minutes” We were in disbelief. We weren’t exactly going for speed but I thought we were pretty efficient. She walked over to a bin and pulled out two pinwheels and then spun them around in a circle. “They pretended that one of them was a drain. They then walked across the area and over the dried river.” We all laughed, none of us thought that was an option.
It is wild how different people can have such different perspectives and viewpoints that will lead to a variety of solutions to the same problem. Part of me wonders if the two groups listed above were to do the task together, would we, the adults, have listened to the kids? If I’m being honest, probably not. We might have done some of what they wanted to try to humor them but would have pushed it off as not a valid solution in the end.
As I reflect back on this experience I am reminded of the words in Matthew 18:1-6 which states,
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
There is something essential about the childlike perspective when it comes to the kingdom of God and life. Most children have an unyielding trust and reason behind their choices and actions (the “floor is lava” because I say it is), until they grow up and don’t anymore (that’s just a dumb kiddie game). I wonder, at what age would I have first thought “That’s dumb and childish” to the kids’ solution? Would it have been at 8, 10, or 12 years old? At what point do we as adults lose that lack of unyielding faith? When do we start to question ourselves and to the same extent, God?
When it comes to life, relationships, mental health, spirituality, finances, careers, and more, what would it mean to you to get back to “childlike faith”? How might it help? Clients come to us all the time with problems, but maybe the simplest answer is the one that is the simplest. We tend to call it “dumb” or “childish.” In marriage relationships, playfulness is one of the most important aspects that keeps a marriage healthy. Have you lost your playfulness in your relationship? In business and careers, creativity is incredibly important because it opens the door to new and effective ideas. Have you lost your awe and wonder of things to the point you aren’t creative anymore?
Conclusion
The moral of this story is that we don’t need to lose our belief that anything is possible. Yes, I know I can’t be certain things in this world, but how many people have proved the word “can’t” is only an excuse? When it comes to us counselors, we try to take can’t out of the equation because that destroys hope. At the very least, we can help you find an alternative that is just as good or better if you will just believe! We are here to help you keep hope in the goodness of life and God.
Author:
Janna LeCroy is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She provides couples counseling and individual counseling as a therapist at Legacy Marriage Resources, LLC based in Augusta, Georgia. Find out more about her in her Bio.
