“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower 
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand 
And Eternity in an hour”

William Blake

My parents are die hard campers. Until quite recently, they slept in sleeping bags on the floor of their tent with only a ‘luxurious’ thin piece of foam under their 80+ year old bodies.  They always took pride in roughing it out.  Dad went logging for deadfall in the bush. He sawed up knotty wood and let my brothers help chop it and set it up to dry around the fire.  Everything from toast to spaghetti was cooked there.  Even the water we lugged to the campsite was fire boiled to heat for dish water and general washing. 

Dad took us fishing in his Kevlar canoe, portaging into the unknown to find good fishing holes.  We learned to fix wriggling worm bits on our hooks and to fillet a fish on shore using a flat rock or the edge of our paddle as a cutting surface.  We slept in a canvas tent, lined up like sardines, wearing long underwear, hoodies, and socks, trying to hold our pee all night as we listened to the shuffling of wildlife around us and tried not to feel the uneven, rocky, rooty ground beneath our hips. Bug spray was unheard of. 

I looked forward to our camping trips.  We were together and close, and relaxed. The hard work looked fun when my Mom and Dad did it with poise and their practiced rhythm.

My teenage children experienced their grandparents camping ways when they were young.  After an unsettling trip with a nightly bear visit, we bought a hard top trailer and have never heard the end of it.  Until Covid, we camped annually with them and my brother on a nearby site (even when we started to live in the trailer section).

We’ve been binge watching the ALONE series on TV.  I love it. It reminds me of my childhood summers. 10 contestants are dropped in remote, harsh areas, with 10 survival items of their choice, a pile of camera equipment to be their own film crew, and a satellite radio to tap out when they can’t do it anymore.  They have to source their own water and food, build their own shelter, and light and tend a fire to survive- rustic camping to the ‘nth’ degree.

It really helps me appreciate what our ancestors endured. ALONE is a survival show. It’s very entertaining to observe and think about how we’d do things if in their shoes.   But, a funny thing happens to these survivalists.  While all alone, fighting to survive they discover that life isn’t just about surviving.  Through their struggle and hard work they connect with nature and find their own purpose, their loves, and their deepest self. They proclaim that they have found their peace with the land. They notice how important each morsel of food and each drop of water is for their body. They pause, breathe, and take in beauty. They say thank you.  It makes me cry. 

This Sunday I preached about Jesus walking on the water and Peter sinking into the depths until Jesus takes his hand.  Peter was eager to get beside Jesus. He didn’t realize that Jesus was already with him and physically drawing near.  Jesus didn’t stop the storm on the water when Peter called to him.  Jesus didn’t make it any easier for Peter to walk on the water. Instead, Peter gets a lesson in drown proofing.  

Remember learning that?  Let out all your breath. Sink, let your arms rise up keeping your body horizontal, touch bottom, push off with your feet, break the surface, breathe, repeat.  This uses a lot less energy than treading water, floating or swimming.  We must remember the power of the water, have respect for nature and trust our amazing bodies.

Staying calm, taking steps to survive, recalling reasons to keep existing (love, truth, learning, helping, healing), biding the time, quelling the fear – this, THIS is how Jesus accompanies us through the worst storms.

Jesus is always moving toward us, staying with us through everything. When we are afraid, Jesus takes hold of us and helps us to drown proof.

It’s hard to trust in creation’s unity – the circular motion of God, the tangible world, and our souls.  Camping, forest bathing, hiking, communing with the creatures and the stuff of the natural world help us to re-center and remember that God is all in all.  Humanity needs to hone drown proofing skills.  It’s how we keep the strength of our faith.  We are never alone.  With God’s help, we will find a way forward in a world so full of hurt and fear.

But when [Peter] saw the wind, he was afraid 
and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

Matthew 14:30-31 NIV