Editor’s note: This is the final article of the mini-series exploring Christian themes seen through kayaking and canoeing.

I remember looking over the vast Canadian lake in Haliburton Scout Reserve 15 years ago.

One of my Boy Scout masters was teaching our troop the canoeing and kayaking merit badge. He challenged us to go across the lake staying as straight as possible. We had learned the paddling strategies but the distance was simply too far that it was hard to stay on the straight and narrow. All of us zig-zagged to the left and right.

On the other side of the lake, the scoutmaster had shared with us that he wanted us to try again, but this time with a different strategy. He encouraged us to pick a big tree on the other side and focus on it. He wanted us to never lose sight of the tree that we chose. The goal was to make our way across the lake staying on the straight and narrow.

As a result of this small change in strategy, every paddler stayed straighter and our times improved. There is a principle in Christian philosophy that states “a small error in the beginning is a big error in the end.” The small error that us boy scouts made was that we did not initially pick a specific destination. Therefore, we found ourselves zig-zagging and lost in the abyss of such a long journey.

One of the small errors in the Christian life is not looking at the tree of the Cross everyday. Jesus’ command to “pick up your cross and follow me” becomes challenging as we get lost in the abyss of such a long journey. The saints looked at the tree of the cross and never lost sight of it.

Luke Daghir is a seminarian for the Diocese of Erie. He is with St. Joseph Parish for his summer mission. He enjoys kayaking and canoeing while seeing the beauty of nature. His column appears every other week.