What a gift life is. Possibilities and opportunities abound. We can fill our hearts and minds with an endless array of information and activity. Life is an adventure and along the journey there are seasons of joy and blessing. Equally there are seasons of difficulty and despair. There is planting and growth, and there is pruning and death. The adventure is not for the faint of heart. This is a serious business, this adventure of living.
There are those that due to the difficulties and the loss choose to play it safe. They take off their hiking boots and step off the trail to find a comfortable spot where they can find some reprieve from the mayhem and madness. They look for some shelter from the storm and take cover. After a while, they find that they like the safety and comfort of the shelter. They decide to take up residence there. It is not bad at all and they find that they quickly adapt to the surroundings. After all, they needed a little R&R and the longer they remain, they find that their thirst for adventure has diminished.
We all need encouragement for the lives that we live. I offer these thoughts as encouragement and hope that as you read you find renewal and refreshment for your journey. I also hope that you find rekindled desire to put the hiking boots back on, to pick up your backpack and continue the adventure. It is never over until you quit. Don’t quit. There will be an end to your journey but it is not now.
We are not always in charge or in control of our circumstances. I lost my nephew Daniel last year to ALS. He was only 30 when he died. During his illness, he was an inspiration to his family and friends because he lived well and fought valiantly through the illness. He never quit.
Life rarely turns out like we imagine. I think that is a good thing. We will all be met with some element of surprise in our lives. I went to college with the idea that I would major in music and become a music pastor at a church. After auditioning and not being accepted into the music program, I had to find another major and another vocation. I turned to business somewhat by default and earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting although I had no particular vision for it at the time. And so life goes.
I have been on the adventure for a while now. There are many things I hope to do and to accomplish between now and my journey’s end. I am sure there will be surprises along the way. For now, I offer this encouragement from the first leg of my adventure. What’s written here contains notes as to what I have found to be the things that matter most. Among all the opportunities and possibilities, the highlands and the lowlands of our journey, there are many distractions. Life is filled with noise. There are many voices clamoring for your time, money, attention and affection. However, there are things that matter most. These are the necessary things that will help us most along the journey.