We were a small community. Three navigators. Each was responsible for a boat with a captain, four pairs of manned oarlocks, and an individual manning the rudder. It was our job to plot the course, monitor our progress, and refine the recommendation to the captain on possible navigation commands.
We had twenty-seven individuals that had put their trust in our judgment. The command structure system worked, however there was a problem. We could not agree on what to do.
Years later when the two alpha males of the group met (I played one of the characters), they shared a common memory of that foggy morning on Penobscot Bay in Maine. In their stories the setting was exactly the same. In every detail except one, the stories matched. Even the trivia that the two lead navigators had firm views of the direction the three boats should take matched. The one thing different was the role we played. We both thought that we were right and the other was wrong and that the wrong man won the day.
Whatever the truth was, on the day in our memory we sailed and rowed in the wrong direction for an hour before we had a course correction.
There was no question of the outcome. As I look back on our conversation, without speaking we both focused on the challenge at hand. What were we going to do now? Did we trust each other enough to move forward?
I look back and think of counsel that reminds me of the strength of a trust filled community. “How dare you take each other to court! When you think you have been wronged, does it make any sense to go before a court that knows nothing of God’s ways instead of a family of Christians?” (1 Corinthians 6.1)
Without a word after we shared our different stories, we separated and reflected on the “what next” question. We found an answer; find a way to express our faith in each other and community. We did on that day. It is a lesson worth repeating.
