Pioneers Have to Walk Through a Lot of Spider Webs

Our family went camping and survived one afternoon lost in the woods.  We anticipated an easy 2-3 mile jaunt, which turned into a day-long marathon as we wandered through unfamiliar forests, disoriented by inaccurate maps and unmarked or closed trails.  One member of our group was not an active hiker, which added to the discomfort of the LONG excursion. We climbed hills and scurried down rocks. We took various trails, asked advice from other ‘lost’ hikers, and eventually gave up on the maps and relied on our inner compasses. We set out to make a memory and ended up with a whopper that we can laugh about (now).

As we wandered through the forest, I began pondering how everyone responds differently to dilemmas. Lost in foreign territory. Dealing with feelings triggered by stress. Coming to group agreement in which direction to take. Combatting fatigue and confusion.

As a leader who has built teams and led many groups into fun, creative, yet sometimes stressful environments, I have made many mistakes and learned a bunch of tough lessons about teamwork. I love forging new trails, trying new things. I enjoy getting good and lost, over my head, in the forest, the city, a project—then working to recalibrate and gain perspective, then find my way through. Sometimes there is a map.  But most often, NOT!  

I relish enjoying the beauty of the present adventure, exploring the unknown. I’ve survived numerous such excursions and have tons of victorious ‘war stories’ to tell because I venture into—and out of—situations where most of my cohorts would never set foot.  

To me, the “Process” is a delight, even if the journey involves great effort and pain—and cost. 

I know I sometimes aggravate teammates who are not accustomed to flying by the seat of their pants the way I do.  I’ve had to learn to slow down and help those who need to move and process more slowly, and even deal with meltdowns and shutdowns when they just want to give up and go HOME.   

On our forest journey, I found myself usually in the lead, walking fast. I couldn’t wait to see what was just on the other side of the next mountain!  

And frequently, I found myself busting through massive spider webs built in the paths amongst the trees.

Imagine that frantic Ninja dance when you step through the intricately woven strands of horror—and you can just FEEL the massive, poisonous spider crawling over you to overtake you for destroying her masterpiece!  

Hmmmm, if this were a dream, what would it mean?

After I walked through the third or fourth spider web, I laughed out loud when the Spirit spoke to me, “Pioneers have to walk through a lot of spider webs.” Truth, in the natural realm, but also symbolically as well!  

Spiders can represent ones who lure or entrap, people who ‘spin’ webs of deceit, devourers, small but powerful forces, people who attempt to impede your progress, venomous words, predatory people.   

Spider webs can represent traps, entanglements, distractions, sticky patterns, lies, confusion, poisonous or threatening  situations, long-standing issues, curses, conflict.  

Navigating new territory often garners criticism or hostility from followers, onlookers, those people who think you would do better staying at home.

If you are a leader, do any of these ‘spidery’ scenarios sound familiar to your life’s travels?

Trailblazers regularly take some hits for the team (often unseen except for the Ninja moves). They try new directions or methods, sometimes have to run off-trail. They have no instructions but have to rely on their training, their instincts, the Spirit who guides them. They encounter spiders (surprise pests) and webs (traps and unpleasantries) along the journey.  Sometimes they take a wrong turn, and get to endure the complaints of the people behind them.  They are visionaries and can ‘see’ success ahead while teammates may doubt any positive outcomes.  

Pioneers are rarely settled and always trying something new, facing criticism for not following status quo or upsetting people’s comfort zones.  They are often misunderstood and their loyalty, judgment, and even sanity are questioned.   

Yet in the end, they take new ground, forge new trails, and bring about team bonding (and memories to laugh about after time passes). New trails are discovered, established, and even sometimes PAVED for others to follow, over time.  

I’m thankful for the trailblazers in my life that have unsettled me and taken me into new realms of existence and understanding.  They took hits and wrestled with demons that I never knew about. They trained me to do the same. The trials and discomforts are worth it to discover new territory, I think.  

Fellow travelers, let’s be patient with each other and periodically glimpse back to where we’ve been and celebrate the spider-webby breakthroughs we survived and conquered . . . TOGETHER! 

Pioneers Have to Walk Through a Lot of Spider Webs