Finish this sentence, the scariest thing I have ever done by choice was____. (This is something you’ve done of your own free will not a presentation you weren’t prepared for.) What made it scary? How did you build up the courage to do it?
It’s no surprise that life is not always going to work out the way you want it to. Even if you think you have planned things perfectly, unforeseen circumstances can sometimes hit you in the face. You were excited for the cookout but now it’s raining and you’re sad. Life is supposed to go a certain way, but too often we deal with disappointment.
There is a song that says, “with every broken heart, we should become more adventurous.” The hardest thing we can do when things don’t work out the way we want is to keep pushing forward.
James in chapter 1 tells us2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
When we hear the word adventure we usually think of going on safari, or exploring Antarctica, or going on some crazy trip with your friends to find pirate treasure. The truth is all of life can be an adventure.
If you call yourself a Christian, then you know that you have joined something bigger than yourself. You are part of the community of believers and we are all in this adventure together. We are called to do challenging things, take risks, and step out on faith. God has a plan for your life and it’s a lot more than where you might go to college or what kind of food you’re going to eat.
In this adventure we are all on, called life, we must recognize that there are things that we cannot control. We can and should make plans. It is good to plan for your future; it’s okay to plan what you will eat or wear. However, when those begin to consume you, when every project is life or death, when you fear your neighbor’s judgment if you don’t have the nicest whatever on the block, when you get angry your post didn’t get enough reactions, you are not on an adventure you are in a cage.
God sent His son Jesus so that we can be free. Too often, we fight back against that freedom. Sometimes it’s because of our own choice sometimes it’s because of choices made by other people that have changed us. No matter what, life is an adventure, and while we will face setbacks, we are called to push through in faith and trust.
Pray about those things that get in your way.