Real-Life Cost Benefit Analysis
Mike, who is on Woodleaf Property staff, is instructing my Summer Staff about a particular element of the obstacle course Woodleaf designed for their HighSchool guests.
“We’d like to use that slide through this entire summer if we can,” he says “and the metal studs on most jeans catch on and tear up the slide.”
Woodleaf’s high school guests had been asked by their leaders to wear anything other than jeans on the course,.. “but sometimes” Mike continued, “a kid just forgets or isn’t paying attention.”
Then Mike said this: “On the other hand, I’d rather spend $1000 to fix a slide than to single a kid out. So, if a group comes through and one kid among them is wearing jeans, just let them through.”
Every, single element of this remarkable property is designed to facilitate relationship. In the same way that Pixar’s vast wealth and expertise serves Story as king, Young Life’s Woodleaf property serves Relationship as king. Nothing is more important than the connection between the people who spend time here. In fact, the literal millions of dollars it costs to run this property elevates Relationship rather than overshadows it.
I don’t have the resources that Woodleaf has. But here reminds me to weigh the time, energy and resources I have against the value of relationship – to actively live like there is nothing more important than those to whom I’m given.