Everybody Gets Caught…

Spring Break Trip to Chicago 2005

During my time at Carson-Newman, I was a proud member of the Carson-Newman College Baptist Collegiate Ministries Gospel Choir. The CNC BCM GC was a student-led group  and we would travel about every other Sunday to area churches and would perform our music. It was a group that had a touching message, yet we would leave the church being blessed by the people we’d met that morning.

Every Fall Break and Spring Break, the choir would go on a missions trip. My freshman year, I didn’t get to go to our Fall Break trip to Chattanooga because I was sick. Because of my reahearsals for Godspell, I had missed the sign-ups for the Spring Break trip to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX. My heart sank, I knew I wanted to go, but I just didn’t make it. One day in the cafeteria, the president of the choir approached me and asked if I would like to go. I was so happy that they sought me out.

The trip began on a Tuesday afternoon and continued through the next week, returning home on a Thursday.

Every night during our trips, we are led through a devotional time led by one of the officers. Halfway through the week, the devotional time was led by our Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary that year was Joel Reynolds. Joel had been the Youth Ministries Intern at my church throughout my senior year in high school. I had grown to adore Joel, and I was honored that I got to spend time doing ministry with him. In his devotional time, he taught us about trusting our team and really relying on each other to make it. At the end of his time, he announced we would all be participating in trust falls. A trust fall is when you lean backwards off a table, and you are caught by the people below.

I’m a big man. I’ve never been small in my life. With that, I’ve never had a self-esteem, either. I didn’t allow anyone in, and I would never let myself be put in a situation where I would have to trust someone else. Needless to say, I would never lean backwards off a table and allow people to catch me.

That evening, Joel had us all remember that “everybody gets caught, everybody gets carried.” As the members of the choir were caught, we then moved our arms in a conveyor belt-like fashion and we would be moved down the line until we were placed gently on the floor. Joel eyeballed me when I got next to the table, and I told him I wasn’t doing it. He wouldn’t take that for an answer. He made me get on the table. He looked at me and made me remember that the people behind me weren’t going to let me get hurt, and they wouldn’t drop me down the line, either.

After about 10 minutes of internally debating, I finally just said I’d do it.

I remember the feeling of falling, not knowing what was going to happen, or if I’ll be caught. Then, thud. I was in the arms of the choir. Then, I was moved to the end of the line. Indeed, I was caught, and indeed, I was carried.

The events of that night truly started a big change in my life. I started to understand I can and trust others, and allow them to trust me. I hold that memory from that trip very near to my heart.

Reader, I don’t know where you’re at in your lives. I don’t know if everything is going great for you, or if everything is in turmoil. Look to people to help catch and carry you through it. It may sound easier said than done, but it will help.

What are some times when you’ve had to trust people to get you through a tough time?