Note: Trust and teamwork activities are a large part of faith based youth camps and youth groups. People who run these groups often look for resources and guides to help draw those lessons out in fun ways. This article applies to Christian based youth camps that use canoeing trust activities to teach lessons about faith.
As you know, faith and trust is a central tenant of Christianity. The Bible teaches that without faith, it is impossible to please God.
We are taught to turn our lives over to Jesus Christ in order to follow him. While this message sounds simple, it is often difficult to explain or teach youth what exactly that means. Different fun activities that involve trusting others can be good bridges between these often abstract concepts and the day-to-day world in which we live. Here are some object lessons that involve canoeing that can be used to in a very real way teach the concept of what it means to trust God with our lives.
First :
- Read the list of trust and teamwork canoeing activities
- Read the canoe activity discussion guide
The Christian Lesson for the Youth Canoeing Activity
While paddling the canoes toward the goal of finishing the race, there are times when paddlers are blindfolded and must follow directions. There are times when they are silent and can’t give direction. There is at least one person in the canoe who can see and must guide the canoe.
Throughout the games there are other boats on the water getting in the way, bumping into each other, and even flipping each other.
It is loud, there is yelling, laughter, and splashing. It is not always clear whom the directions are meant for with all of the noise.
This is a lot like our Christian walk. We want to go our own way and be in control yet we can’t see clearly. But, God has a different plan. Sometimes we can see his plan. Other times we can’t. He knows where He is taking us. We must listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and let Him guide us, even if we can’t see His plan. Trusting in what God is telling us isn’t always easy. That is where faith comes in.
Also, we are in this Christian life together. There are others in the boat with us. We need to choose those people to get into the canoe with that will help us achieve the plans God has for our lives. It is so satisfying to work together toward the same goal, namely for His glory. But, we must make sure we are all like-minded in this.
But, along the way there are obstacles. We hear other voices and it becomes difficult to discern who is guiding us. Others get in our way, try to flip us over, and prevent us from achieving God’s plan for our lives. It is during those times when we must try to tune out the distractions and listen very carefully to the Spirit’s leading.
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