It was a warm summer morning and my co-counselor and I were seeking a cool spot to sit with our cabin group of elementary campers for a daily Bible study. They were spending the week with us at Camp Mount Luther, some of them being away from home for the first time. Knowing we could find respite from the increasing heat of the day by heading to the coolest part of camp, we climbed down the steep trail behind the A-frame Maple Cabin 8 and headed to the area known as Black Snake, a site set up with a worship setting and a clearing for overnight camping next to a babbling brook. It always seemed cooler than other parts of the camp, with a dense tree canopy providing shade and dappled sunlight while the rocky creek served as nature’s air conditioner. The campers seemed to like the idea and quickly settled in together along the stream bank to watch the water passing along peacefully. This scene provided the inspiration for a fitting metaphor of Peter’s walking on water and starting to sink in doubt and fear.

I asked the campers to think of a time when they felt alone or when their lives weren’t going as they would have liked. Then they each picked up a stone from the bank and tossed it into the clear running water, watching it sink and settle to the bottom. This is how we often feel in those dark times when we’re struggling in relationships and life and let ourselves feel down and unsupported, I said.