Dearest Friend,
Did you know that I was engaged once before marrying my husband Shawn?
True story.
It was a silly time in my life... A proud and arrogant time, where I thought that I knew what was good for me, and that everyone else didn't.
Though it was a brief and very short relationship/engagement, it changed and fueled the rest of my world in a pretty big way.
The guy I was engaged to lived in a van.
Yes, he lived in his van.
He spent his time working with his hands, surfing, sitting with the homeless and listening to their stories... He long boarded, wore board shorts and flip flops everywhere he went and wasn't afraid to try anything. I remember one time he bought wind surfing equipment and took it out to try without a single lesson or know how.
And what I saw, was ADVENTURE!
One day, after only a total of 3 months together {and already being engaged}, I realized that this man was not who I should bind myself to in holy matrimony!
What I was attracted to and craved, was his unabashed way of tackling all that was before him.
I wanted to be that way! Spend my life, living within the depths of adventure!
ADVENTURE
An unusual, daring and exciting experience or activity.
The exploration of unknown territory.
The description alone gets me all giddy! My head begins to spin with ideas of potential adventures and a happy nostalgia takes me to grand adventures past.
What I learned after that silly season was this:
I long for adventure, YES! Oh how I do! and have for as long as I can remember!
When I met this young man, I thought that I had found what I had been waiting for...
In my mind at the time, it seemed that he was living his life the way that I was wanting to live mine.
Free from many of the worlds cares, tied to few possessions and making the most of very little 'means'.
That's adventure after all, right?
I had no idea that there were so so so many other ways of experiencing adventure.
The first thing, I came to terms with {aside from my pride and need to listen to others discernment}, was that I want adventure with the Lord!
Look back at the definition of adventure and think about God... It fits doesn't it?! Faith is an adventure. It's the biggest adventure!!
{This topic alone is one that I could elaborate upon for hours! And I just might come back to it in another letter}
No matter where I went, or who I was with, or what circumstances were around me, I could be standing in the midst of 'unknown territory'. It wasn't something that I had to seek out. God and all that He is, in His faithful presence, was something that I could dive into at all times! And Seriously!! it's the most daring and exciting experience ever!!!
You know what else is an adventure?
Marriage. Oy is marriage an adventure?!! Look at the definition again! Totally fits, right!
Family! That's a crazy adventure!
Having a family! Yep, that's one too!
Friends, the future, your commute to work!!
New Perspective... Even if I never travel to another foreign land ever again {such a scary thought!}, I can still live within the depths of adventure!
I don't have to chase fireflies, or stand upon the sands of faraway tides, or hear the language of unknown tongues, or wear the same two outfits and dumpster dive for my food {never had the desire to do that last one... just f.y.i.} ~ There are a thousand different "unusual, daring and exciting experiences" all around me! "Un-kown territory to explore" is just beyond my door! Heck, it's even within my own home!
Being a new Mother, with a heart that beats super duper strongly after adventure, I have spent a lot of time thinking up a thousand and one different ways that I can introduce my sons to it!
And again {yes, I start sentences with And} I've come to the place of remembering that adventure isn't going to be just flying a kite at the top of a windy hill, or catching insects and doing only what little boys do with them. Adventure is getting to know God! Oh how I cannot wait to talk with them about how wonderful their Creator is!! This is something I do on a daily basis already, but it'll be so neat to hear their hearts for Him!
I want to teach them about the adventure of caring for others. I want to share with them the adventure that it is to love their Daddy. Of course we will love him in our own ways, but to go above and beyond in all that we do, making the most of our time and working hard to see those around us flourish as we shine Jesus!... That's adventure!!!
So go live your life friend! Live it and realize/know that today will never happen again! It has never happened before!! You are in the midst of adventure! Stand tall, walk with bravery and let your mind and heart fall into excitement as you recognize that you can make the most out of what's before you! Conquer it! That's what we do with adventure! We face it, and we thrive as it's defeated! Rest your head upon your pillow at night and smile. You were great today! {Just be sure not to forget that God is your Tour Guide. He can show you where and how to walk. And He will keep you safe and protected when things are difficult and you doubt the shaky ground beneath your feet. He's the Best!}
xoxo
I'd love to hear how you see adventure in your every day?!
