Capture the Flag

This evening was quite the adventure... Wednesday nights from 7-8:30, kids in my church get together for a "mutual" night. At first.. I didn't really understand why all the 13-18 year olds met every week... I guess it's an opportunity for the kids to get together in the middle of the week and experience something spiritual. It's also a time I suppose for them to get together so they stay out of trouble.  In my church, I am one of the advisers called to oversee these activities. I don't actually do anything but show up. I make it my responsibility to make sure everyone is doing what they should be doing and not getting into mischief.  I think we all can look at ourselves and remember what it was like to be at that age. All the curiosities and experimentation. As I remember that age, I try to make sure those experiments don't turn into too much "activity" if you know what I mean. Most of the time I don't have to worry too much about what they are doing... I sometimes just make sure everyone is playing fairly and having a good time.

Tonight I played capture the flag with 40 something teenagers. With all their attitudes and personalities.... The evening actually went pretty well and a fun time was had. Kids from the age of 13-18 were present and we were split randomly into two groups. Both boys and girls. One team wore green fabric tied around their wrist. Another team, Orange. Each team had their own flag with the same color as their wristband. Pretty basic. The rules were that if you were tagged, you went to "jail". and you could only be saved from "jail" if someone of your own team came and tagged you and you were free to walk back to your side.... again... all pretty basic rules of a classic capture the flag game.

Initially I was just there to watch the game and make sure nobody got hurt. After all, we were playing in someone's back yard which had lots and lots of rocks, trees and shrubs. I spent half the game walking around making sure everyone was safe. Then I saw that another adult had gotten into the game and was playing too. So... I thought.... what the hey.. why not play... I tied two orange wristbands on and went into stealth mode... As stealthy as one can be who is obviously not a kid and with a bright red shirt on.

I got pretty close to the flag on my first round over to the "enemies" side. But was tagged. I went to "jail" but didn't spend too terribly long over there. I got out and tried a different tactic. I tried walking again like nothing was going on... maybe they would think I was not playing and wouldn't tag me. Well... that worked for a bit but again I got tagged... jail.... out again...

My third time I tried to capture their flag I was way more successful. This time I got all the way to the point of coming into proximity of their "flag guard". It was now darker and much more difficult to even see their flag. I kept stalking around the guard. I couldn't find the flag. Again tagged out when I made a blitz into the guards territory. I was still having fun.. but was kind of bummed that I couldn't see the flag ANYWHERE. As I got to the jail area, I saw a girl run down the rocky, brush filled hill and finally jump over the line and land on "our" (my team) side. She landed hard on her feet  and it looked like it hurt... I could imagine that kind of landing resulting in a twisted ankle or something like that, but no. She raised her hand and exclaimed: "I got their flag!" I couldn't believe it.. my team won! I yelled "game over" really loud and we all celebrated. It was quite the experience. Some might wonder why it meant so much to me and why I would blog about it???

Why? I'll tell you why... I grew up in Washington state with friends all my age. However. I wasn't making the best kind of decisions. I didn't go to church... I didn't really find religion interesting or anything like that. I had a girlfriend at the time and I would frequently spend the night over her house. I didn't drink or do drugs, but my life revolved around 3 things: First- My girlfriend. Second- My close friends and Third - Work. When I was younger all I thought about was growing up and being responsible and having money. I would never had indulged in such frivolities as I did tonight. As I was playing the game tonight... I thought about that... I thought: I never did this sort of stuff as a kid.... I don't know that I would have wanted to do something like this at that age. (around 16-18) I mean... that's not to say that... I NEVER had fun as a teenager... but the good ole fashioned, clean fun of just running around playing outside.... I didn't often do.

I often think about the things I did as a kid. And I did in fact have plenty of experiences playing outside and getting dirty and all that.... But at about 15-16... I was already working and I cut myself short by deciding to go to work. Nobody ever forced me to go to work... Nobody said I needed money. But I decided that. And I look back now as an adult and think: I wish I knew what I was missing. The church I go to is so amazing and nothing like any... ANY other church I've ever been to. And perhaps I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with the church when I was 15-16 years old. But I do realize that I missed out... severely... But luckily I am getting opportunities to have fun and play again. I'm getting what I had missed out on... and honestly... it's humbled me in a way that I am thankful for. I mean.. I believe I am the person I am today because of the choices I made growing up. I could have been a lot worse.. and I could be an entirely different person, in a bad way... I know I'm a good person.. and I'm grateful for what I've gone through and what kind of person I am because of those decisions. Though tonight.. was so fun... and without the calling I have in church, and without knowing the exact reason why we even have a mutual night.... I know that someone knows my heart and the desires of it... and has helped me with getting that opportunity... the opportunity to play, yell, play tag and act like a 16 year old....... Even if I am 27 now....