Adventure … ???

Scripture

“For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” –Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Thoughts

There is a deep yearning inside of each of us that wants to awake. We all have a desire for adventure or to be part of something bigger than ourselves. That desire is put there by design. The question is … are we willing to step out of the front door and into uncharted territory that is unknown to us?

While this question connects with our hopes and dreams, it can also clash with our every day reality.

Every day is and can be an adventure. I have a hard time seeing that sometimes. We all, at times, have preconceived ideas or thoughts of how we want our adventures to turn out or what we want them to look like. In other words, we want everything to be predictable and under our control. Is this really adventure? Is this the kind of adventure that captures our hearts through our favorite books and movies?

One of my favorite adventures of all time was the time I spent in Ireland. I want to go back, yet I know it will not be the same. Maybe the adventure I still seek isn’t found in a location. Maybe God wants to remake my eyes to see what He sees and to see others as He made them – fearfully and wonderfully. Maybe the reason we don’t experience much adventure in life is because we tend to say “NO” to things that we feel might be uncomfortable, annoying, unpredictable or hard. Maybe it is because of our preconceived ideas and thoughts that keep us from screaming “YES” to an experience that may be uncomfortable, annoying, unpredictable or hard. When we choose to say “Yes,” we allow God’s Spirit to lead us. To lead a horse out of a burning stable, you need to cover its eyes. Otherwise, it will focus on the fire and will refuse to be led to safety. To live life as an adventure, we need to trust God. We cannot always focus just on what we see. This is why the Bible tells us, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

I want another Goonies adventure! When we get tired of the mundane, something needs to change. It could be that the “change” you’re looking for needs to happen inside of you first. How about for starters, we change our perspectives. What if it was God Himself saying, “I have a journey coming up, and I want you to be a part of it.” What do you think your answer might be? It could be that the answer to how you’re feeling about life right now can be found within your answer to this question. God asked Jonah to go to Ninevah. Jonah refused. God provided an unusual mode of transportation to get Jonah where God wanted him to be.

Yes – the adventure will be scary at times. But yes – God is with each one of us. He says that He will never leave us or forsake us. Through Jeremiah 29:11, God is saying that He cares for us and wants to guide us to a place of safety and hope. Scary? Yes. Worth it? ABSOLUTELY!

The rewards of the journey far outweigh the risk of leaving the harbor. Perhaps it is that ugly four-letter-word that is keeping us from stepping out – FEAR. Perhaps it is another four-letter-word – BUSY. Perhaps it is yet a different four-letter-word – LAZY. Just maybe we should look our excuses in the face and say enough is enough! You have been given the power and authority to break any chains or any generational patterns that are keeping you in the harbor.

What would you say if I were to give you an open-ended ticket. Where would you go? You can leave whenever you want and come back when you like. Your bags for this great adventure have been packed. Everything you need is provided and taken care of. All you all you have to do is to be willing to accept the offer.

“I wanted real adventures to happen to myself. But real
adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.” -James Joyce, Dubliners

C.S. Lewis believed that our desire for something better is a gift, a way of reminding us of what it is we lost and what it is we hope to regain. “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those exists.” Lewis also explains, “A baby feels hunger. Well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim. Well, there is such a thing as water.” Our desire for adventure is there for a reason. Well, God provides such adventures.

“Life is a journey, a home; a road, not a city of habitation; and the enjoyments and blessings we have are but little inns on the roadside of life, where we may be refreshed for a moment, that we may with new strength press on to the end – to the rest that remaineth for the people of God.” –Horatius Bonar

“There is a road, no simple highway, between the dawn and the dark of night, and if you go, no one may follow, that path is for your steps alone” –Ripple by the Grateful Dead

Are you ready to scream, “YES?”

Imagery

Sometimes we pack way too many things for our journey.

Listen to this song and see how it hits you.