One simple activity

How is it that one simple activity can sometimes hold monumental significance? Is every activity as significant, and we just miss it 99% of the time? Or do those certain activities only come around once and a while? Which then bears the question, how do we make sure we don’t miss those times?

I don’t have any answers to those questions, and as far as I know- the only person who would is God himself. In the meantime, I do know that I have had moments when I recognize the significance of certain activities; when it means so much more than what it appears to be on the surface.

Those times generally reveal more to me about who I really am and what my character really is. And let’s be honest- most of the time, it isn’t very pretty. But it is real. Real problems that need real attention. So I begin by thanking God that He allowed me to recognize the moment and I pray that He will change me.

Recently, I had one of those moments. It happened while participating in a diversity training at my job. Each of us lined up along two sides of a piece of yarn strung through the hallway. We faced our “teammate” as instructed. The coach told us that our goal was to get both of us on the same side of the yarn line. We could plead, cajole, convince, wheedle, etc., but we could not use physical force.

The game began and I immediately began trying to convince my teammate to join me on my side. “We’ll win and be first,” I said. “Do it for me,” was my next attempt. In the end, when time was called- we were still on opposite sides of the line. The coach then asked if anyone had offered to cross the line themselves and join their teammate. I felt like someone had slapped me in the back of the head.

God showed up and spoke to me in that moment.

“I crossed the line for you. That’s what I’m asking you to do for others. If you had looked beyond yourself and beyond ‘winning,’ you could have offered to cross the line.”

As if that wasn’t enough to bring me to my knees, the coach then says, “Would it have made any difference if I had told you that your teammate needed you on their side? Would you have offered to cross the line more quickly?”

I’d like to say I immediately answered ‘Absolutely.’ Especially given that my teammate is in reality one of my absolute best friends. But I hesitated. I wavered. I am ashamed to admit it, but I was not convinced that I would have offered to cross the line even then. I might have been more concerned about my needs. Because, see, the rule said I needed her, too. So she should have offered to join me.

God again began whispering,

“But Stephanie, if you had crossed the line to her, both of your needs would have been filled. You would have had each other.”

Wow. One simple game designed to improve communication in a workplace. God took it and made it so much more. And I am grateful that I didn’t miss it.