Before flying out to the mission field, my World Race team was given the book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I hadn’t heard of this New York Times Bestseller before coming on the Race but once this 272-page gem landed in my hands, I was hardly able to put it down.
After writing his best-selling memoir, Blue Like Jazz, Miller’s life stalled. During what should have been the height of his success, he found himself unwilling to get out of bed, avoiding responsibility, even questioning the meaning of life. But when two movie producers proposed turning his memoir into a movie, he found himself launched into a new story filled with risk, possibility, beauty and meaning. He discovers the same elements that go into creating a great film can also work to create a great life story.
He quit writing for a while and rode his bike across America. He started a mentoring program because he had become selfish, and he freed himself to fall in love with a woman even though the relationship left him heart broken – all because he wanted to live a better story.
The day I applied for the World Race, I began living a better story and I made the decision again the Monday I decided to volcano board down the Cerro Negro. An active volcano, it’s approximately 162 years old and is the youngest volcano in Central America. It has erupted 23 times since its birth, most recently in 1999 and it also happens to be the only place in the world where you can experience this thrill!
When we arrived at the park, we were given two options: hike up the black hill carrying our sleds or pay to have someone carry them for us. At the proposition, I immediately remembered Miller’s story where he describes a trip he took to Peru to climb Machu Picchu. At the beginning of the hike, Miller’s guide Carlos explains that if they stayed on the trail that ran along the river, Machu Picchu was about six hours away but if they visited Machu Picchu on a pilgrimage, they had to take the Inca Trail which would take four days to get there.
“Why would the Incas make people take the long route?” one of the hikers asked.
“Because the emperor knew,” said Carlos. “The more painful the journey to Machu Picchu, the more the traveler would appreciate the city, once he got there.”
I decided to hike Cerro Negro carrying my own sled.
After a grueling, hour-long hike, I was at the top of the volcano and the view was absolutely breathtaking. Just like Miller, I appreciated the majesty of God’s creation so much more because of the journey it took to get there. And even though it only took about two minutes to slide down the volcano, I was satisfied knowing that in that moment I was living a great story.
When the credits roll in your life, are people going to think your story is dull?
If there’s any chance of that happening, choose to start living a better story today.
[We stayed on top of the volcano so long that we ended up boarding down in the dark!]
