There were three of us charged with making a decision. Maps ready, analysis complete, and conclusions drafted; we were ready to work together to build a consensus. The scene was a calm summer day on a bay in Maine. The water was an idyllic blue with gentle swell rocking the three boats. The scattered clouds only confirmed that we were enjoying some of the best that nature has to offer each of us. What should have been obvious wasn’t. Currents, tidal changes, and confusion over our destination all brought us to a breaking point.
One navigator gave up the argument quickly. “Whatever the two of you decide is fine by me,” was his conclusion.
Later both of us involved believed the other has won the verbal sparring match. Whoever was the victor there was little evidence that anyone was willing to claim because the course heading was very wrong! The three boats headed out into trouble, extra travel distances, and headaches. The fault was clearly on the three of us, regardless of who had made the decision. Years later we all remembered that it was someone else, no chance that I won that battle!
“A grasping person stirs up trouble, but trust in GOD brings a sense of well-being.” (Proverbs 28.25)
We met years later. We laughed and recalled the story, gently nudging each other to admit that we were the guilty party. Each knew that there was unfinished business. Trust had been broken and there was no bond of trust between us.
The solution was intuitively simple and both of us took it without thinking. Put ourselves in a situation where the only way we could “win” was by trusting in each other. The sense of victory and peace travels with me to this day. The lesson imprinted on my soul. When I define “experiential trust” that day on Hurricane Island Maine is the answer.
I wonder; do I trust God? Can I recall the experiences where trust flowed and success followed? Am I willing to take a step into the unknown again, today?
