I was recently blessed to have two very sassy campers: Lydia and Natalie. They were absolutely wonderful and amazing. The challenge for the week was that Lydia hated walking and had a fear of steps (and hated hills). So camp was really the perfect environment for her. After hiking over the mountain, I started having these thoughts like: How in the world am I going to get her to hike up to high elements? Since she likes stairs, convincing her to go up a staircase to jump off a platform will be great. It’s a good thing the other high element is basically just climbing really big stairs.
I will not lie: I had very low expectations. I did my best to casually slip in comments throughout the day about making a small hike to cheer on Nicole as she climbed and zipped, yet as I rested in bed Thursday night I remember thinking that I would be content if Lydia just made it to the zip line. I prayed that night that God would remove my expectations and let me not hinder his work.
Getting Ms. Lydia up to the zip line was no small feat, but it happened. Libra sat and watched while Nicole and I zipped. When I came back, I was informed that Libra had almost been persuaded to try on a harness. In Sparrowwood, we do everything by baby steps. Last year, Lydia did not zip or put on a harness. This year, if she were to put on a harness, then maybe next year she would feel comfortable enough to stand on the stairs. So I decided that, as Libra’s counselor, I would try to get her to try on a harness.
I told her about how the platform had the best view and how I would really like for her to model a harness with Natalie and I. She gave no opposition. In fact, she readily agreed to not only put on the harness but to go up and look with me. So I grabbed a harness and a helmet and started helping her to get ready. I’m not sure anyone has ever been harnessed, helmeted, and tethered so quick. Something in me knew that if I hesitated, she would psych herself out.
The most amazing part, I think, is that she never stopped on the stairs. She went slow, but she never stopped. Throughout the entire week, she always took stairs one at a time with long hesitations between each step. I was actually floored. By the time we made it to the top I was considering it a victory. Then we managed to get her clipped in and sitting on the edge of the platform.
Sitting on the edge of the platform, she panicked a little. She told us she was scared and we told her that was perfectly fine. She was safe and we had her. She turned to me and asked to hold my hand. Before Lydia could think, the facilitator asked Lydia if she would be okay with going down the zip line if I was holding her hand. Lydia said yes, and it was done before anyone (including the facilitator or I had second thoughts). I have never seen someone so proud of themselves as Lydia was in that moment. The only thing I could think of was how much God had done and how close I had come to not giving Lydia a chance to succeed. Our God is truly amazing.
