In the spirit of adventure, sometimes we dare to do things that push us far beyond what we know to be safe and comfortable. Adventures can be small or they can be GREAT!
But all adventures carry these components: thrill, discovery, challenge and passion.
Let's keep it real, the World Race is the adventure of adventures for me as far as missionary and traveling experiences go. Maybe you think the adventure begins once I set foot on African soil and my pores drip sweat that will daily mix with dust as I begin my ministry work.
I'll tell you this, the journey began before I was ever even called to the mission field. I believe we all crave adventure, but not all of us endure the challenges necessary to surpass the thrill, make the discovery and ride the crest of our passions.
I don't want to miss out on the life of adventure God calls me to. In chasing God, I have caught the scent of a trail that leads to an everlasting adventure.
What exactly is it about adventure that I find so irresistable? I just get all stirred up, starry-eyed and twitterpated thinking about it. I bite my lower lip and I feel a tingle in the pit of my stomach that makes me curl my toes.
What is it about me? Courage? Crazy? Compassion?
Ultimately it boils down to this: the Spirit of adventure.
"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7
I stop momentarily and think of the life of the apostle who lived behind these penned words.
Paul. The missionary. The preacher to the Gentiles. Bondservant. Unashamed. Bold. Soldier for the Lord. He who endured all things for the sake of the Gospel. Apostle Paul the adventurer.
Paul had been radically converted, touched and anointed by Jesus. The hand of God had touched his life and Paul was never the same. There was no looking back.
Guess what? That same spirit that was given to Paul, was given to me.
The thrill was living a radical life. The discovery was the hope of life in Christ beyond this one here on earth. The challenge was ministry accompanied by immense suffering. The passion was a love for God, reaching the lost and preaching the Gospel.
I want to live by that spirit. Move in that spirit. Die in this life and live forever in that spirit.
