Adventure.

When I was a little kid, before this world cursed me with an abrupt sense of “reality”, I used to love going on adventures. Whether it was building a fort out of the trees in the back corner of my yard or it was pretending I was riding away from the bad guys on my bike, I loved making my life feel exciting. I loved pretending that I was part of something bigger than the circumstances that were actually surrounding me. But recently I have had a very depressing realization in my life:

Somewhere along the way in life I have lost this sense of adventure.

I don’t know what it is about our culture but once you reach a certain age you are supposed to put your imagination and dreams aside and become a “grown up”. I do understand that the older you get the more responsibilities you acquire, but what does that have to do with living a life with adventure and an imagination? Without these two elements in our lives, day to day life becomes BORING. And in my opinion, I don’t think that God ever intended our lives to be BORING! In fact, it is quite the opposite.

In my last blog I talked about purpose. I mainly focused on discovering the purpose in our own lives, but what would you say was the purpose of Jesus’ life? Well of course he came here to die for us on the cross so that we may have eternal life with him in heaven. And that is HUGE! But when thinking about this idea of adventure, could it be possible that another purpose of Jesus’ life here on earth was to teach us to be followers who live a life of adventure? I think so! Look at the numerous crazy things that he did throughout the gospel. He hung out with a prostitute, he ate dinner with sinners, he raised someone from the dead, he took on the high priests and challenged everything they were doing, he healed the sick and lame, etc. All the while he did this with his students near by, teaching them that there is power when you carry the name of God with you.

Then Jesus gave what we now call the great commission, which states:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus was sending his disciples on an adventure! An adventure that was going to take them all over the world spreading the news of Christ and baptizing people in his name. This concept is commonplace today but this was a huge and dangerous task for these men to take on. A task that in the end took many of their lives in very violent and cruel ways. But I can guarantee that if we could ask the disciples today if they would do it again that they would say the adventure was worth it.

The conclusion I want to draw out of this is that we need to live our lives like it is an adventure. And a forewarning that goes along with that is it wont always be safe. What kind of adventure doesn’t include a little danger? But God never calls us to be safe in our faith. He calls us to be bold and to trust in Him to lead us to do what He knows is best. But are we brave enough to follow? I just pray that we approach our walks with a more childlike sense of adventure and to break away from what this world tells us it means to be a grown up.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)