A story
Little Walker’s favorite place in the world is the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. If you have ever been to this boardwalk in the summer, you know the extent of the crowds of people – it is exhilarating. For five-year-old Little Walker, with amusement rides and snacks and so many people, a night spent on the boardwalk was his most favorite thing to do. All day long, he told everyone he encountered, “I am going to the boardwalk tonight!” So when dinner was done, and the dishes were all washed and dried, he headed up to “the boards” with his parents and little sister, his aunt and uncle. Little Walker could barely contain himself as he entered the scene: Ferris wheels and boogie boards and flashing billboards, skateboards and strollers, Steel’s fudge and Mack & Manco’s pizza and Shriver’s saltwater taffy, the sounds of the Atlantic Ocean in the background, and wave upon wave upon wave of people. Absolutely wonderful!
But when he smelled that smell–hot caramel popcorn!–and spotted the Johnson Caramel Popcorn shop (his dad’s favorite place on the boardwalk), and excitedly looked back for his dad, but could not find him or anyone else in his family, the whole scene turned on Little Walker. The lights, the noises, the smells, and the faces all began to press in upon him and terrify him. The excitement was gone. Little Walker was lost.
He began to quietly cry as he searched the crowd for his family. Face after face, big and small, young and old, missed him and his desperate situation. Not one face focused any sort of attention on him. Everything and everyone raced past the boy in a collective overlooking, until out of the crowd, one familiar face stood out. The moment for Little Walker was not when he saw his Uncle Zach’s face but when Uncle Zach’s face rested on him. What a wonderful face looking at and moving toward him through the hurried mob of people. His uncle rushed over and hoisted him up into his arms. Little Walker began to cry harder and harder as his uncle carried him back to the rest of the family. Uncle Zach had found him! The panic was over.
Where are we in the story today?
This story has been a very meaningful story to me over the years. I return to it over and over again. It captures so much of what I have seen and experienced in my life and ministry. Nothing is worse than getting lost, but nothing is better than being found. And in the spaces in between getting lost and being found, we never outgrow our need for spiritual companions.
There are so many people in our church communities today who relate to Little Walker’s experience on the boardwalk. For them, the local church has been such a meaningful and safe place in their lives, one in which they learned to trust God, serve their neighbor, and find friendship in the world. But then, somewhere along the way—a job loss, a trip abroad, a rejection, a deep disappointment, a promising relationship, a pandemic, an illness—something in their life has triggered a recognition, “a turn” of sorts, and they have begun to look around and realize how alone and unsure they actually feel. They wonder if they have somehow lost their way in the midst of a place that has, in the past, been so instrumental in helping them find their way.
I find myself wondering today about those of us who have been an Uncle Zach for years in our communities, but now, in the season we find ourselves in, we are beginning to feel more like Little Walker, a bit lost in the crowd. This realization can be profoundly disillusioning. I obviously don’t know the dynamics and circumstances of where you are, but I do wonder: Who is providing a presence that helps us sort out our current set of feelings and thoughts? Are we open to receiving the friendship we need?
So wherever we find ourselves in the Little Walker and the boardwalk story today, we desperately need people who, in simple and unspectacular ways, play the role of Uncle Zach for the many Little Walkers in our midst. Men and women who pay attention, really listen, and patiently give space for others’ questions, confusion, frustration, and wonderings provide such a powerful and steadying presence in our communities. May we be open to the Spirit’s companioning way with us and through us wherever we find ourselves today…
Reflect:
- Recall a time in your life when you felt a bit uncertain, adrift, or even lost. Looking back now, what do you think you needed at that point in your life?
- Where do you find yourself in the Little Walker and the boardwalk story? With whom do you most identify today? Speak with the Lord about this…
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Robert Loane serves as President of VantagePoint3 Ministries, seeking to both learn and encourage a more relational way of life and ministry. He is co-author of Deep Mentoring: Guiding Others on Their Leadership Journey (IVP, 2012) and A Mentoring Guide: Christ. Conversation. Companionship (VP3, 2019). He has been the lead writer of The Journey process and other VP3 processes for the last 20 years. At the core of his life and work, Rob loves helping people find ways to have better conversations about the things that matter most in their lives.
