Nature and Boy Scout Camp go together. Trees and bugs, the beautiful lake and the golden sunsets, songs in the dining hall and skunks under the tents. It is a wonderful way to spend a few days. I volunteer when I can as a chaperone with our local scout troop. And I enjoy living under the trees for a few days – relaxing this 40 year old body – and experiencing the peace of the natural world. Getting in touch with nature, as they say.
Nature is wonderful but nature can also be cruel. We have been blessed with these wonderful bodies, given great natural abilities, allowed to develop and hone our skills and then we slowly age. And the abilities, gifts, the strength, and speed that nature gave us slowly goes away. I don’t know why it works this way. If it were my choice I should be able to run and jump like I used to do when I was younger. I would want everything to stay the same – always. But, unfortunately, this is not to be. For me, getting in touch with nature at Boy Scout Camp also meant getting in touch with aging.
My scouts entered an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. It is kind of a cross between football and soccer. I played this game a lot when I was younger, so I volunteered to help the boys. I was their coach – I organized the teams and gave them basic strategy. Then at one point I entered a game, just to see if I could still play.
Now I have just turned 40 and I am in excellent condition. I exercise and I haven’t gained any weight since college. So I figured I could still run with these boys and teach them a thing or two about this sport. So I entered the game and everything was going well. I felt good, I felt strong, and I felt as if nothing had changed. Then, as we were nearing the goal we lost possession and the boys ran in the other direction. Something happened to me that has never happened before. The game passed me by. These young people stopped on a dime, turned in the other direction, and left me in the dust. I realized that I’ve lost the speed I used to have. I no longer have the explosive first step that I used to get open and keep up with the action. I now know how Michael Jordan feels – I used to be able to play this game.
Now these young people may have an advantage over me in the physical arena, but I still have a lot going for me. I have something that only time and experience can give, I have wisdom. I have learned a great many things over the years, things that only come through the difficult process of trial and error. And as the experiences have accumulated I have learned many hard and valuable lessons. And I have become a stronger and wiser person as a result of this.
In many places the Urantia Book talks about the importance of experience in the attainment of wisdom. Page 1120 is just one of many places that has helped me to understand the importance of time as we progress towards God. Time is a necessary element of the journey. Change rarely happens quickly. And even when it does, much time has passed in preparation for the changes. Those of us who seek after God cannot be static. We must always be striving for growth in the face of the challenges of time. We are either progressing towards the future that God has prepared for us, or we are descending towards destruction. Either way, we have been given the opportunity by God to spend precious time in His creation. And time indeed is a precious commodity.
I may be slower but I’m wiser. I may be older but I have grown spiritually. I may be slowly declining but I am also slowly becoming closer to God. I have been given so much by the years, none of which I would give back. So let the aches and pains come, let the game pass me by. I look forward to growing in wisdom and in age. I am ready for everything that God has to give.
God bless you,
William Whitehead
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