This last picture is very special to me..not because it's of my husband (even though this makes it all the more special to me) but because of the message the next day.
This thing they are on is called Jacob's ladder. It spans about 50 feet in the air and has posts suspended every 5 feet with rope. The goal is to work as a team to climb to the top using whatever strategy you and your partner can come up with and then once you reach the top climb onto the platform. As if that's not hard enough you must each walk across a wire holding only each other's hands..and as the wires diverge apart you must work to support each other before falling to the ground.
My husband was the last to go with a teenager that very much reminded us of our own son. Wanting to try things but maybe sometimes a tad over confident in one's skills. As they sat and watched group after group go Matt felt like this young man was faltering in confidence a little bit based. But Matt did not. He knew this was actually exciting and something he was glad to share with the young man (and I was glad this young man was paired with Matt..I knew my husband's strength and ability and I knew DEEP in my heart there was a reason they were paired together).
Finally their time came. I can't imagine the butterflies in their stomachs (well, OK mine) as we waited for them to go last. Matt quickly climbed the first rung while the young man faltered a little trying to figure out how to get up there. With people screaming all sorts of encouragement it was very difficult to for the two men to hear what each other was saying...so Matt came down to listen to him and offer a strategy. We could all see how the young man looked into Matt's eyes, grabbed his hand and was hoisted to the next level. And so it went on.
Once they reached the top rung the next challenge was the platform. My husband lied down and hung over the edge of the platform and grabbed this young man's arms and pulled him up. From there it was not over. They slowly slid their feet out over the wire a few inches at a time..sliding their feet not lifting so they would stay grounded at all times as to where the wire was. Holding their hands against each other and looking directly at each other they made their way farther than any group had gone..simply by working as a team and completely trusting each other.
The next morning during the testimony time, the young man's mother got up and thanked Matt for the experience made possible by simply taking the time to work with him (let's just say it was a HUGE lesson to both Matt and I as well). The next person who stood to give a testimony was another father who had taken the same challenge with his son.
He described it like this...(and I paraphrase very loosely).."as I reached down to grab a hold of my son's hand instructing him to look into my eyes and trust me, I lifted him past that obstacle. And we did it over and over again until we reached the top working together hearing only each other and not the distractions around us. At that moment I thought of Jesus, holding out his hand waiting for us to take it and look Him in the eyes and trust Him as He lifts us through our trials in life..one by one until we reach the end".
Many blessings to you all and thanks for reading about our Joni and Friends Family Retreat experience!
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