I am a creature of habit and comfort. Most people would not characterize me as a person who loves adventure, and I'm okay with that. I enjoy watching others have fun or hearing their stories, but typically you'll find me sitting contentedly on the sidelines. I'd rather not play than get hot and sweaty, rather not swim than ride home in a wet swimsuit, et cetera.
So when my team decided that we would spend our first off-day in Thailand riding elephants, visiting a waterfall, and rafting down a river, I was happy but out of my element. "You know what I really want to do? Raft down a river," is not something you'd hear if you were privy to my internal dialogue.
Bamboo rafting was after lunch and right before going home. It consisted of 7 big, long pieces of bamboo lashed together on which can sit 4 people with their bums in the water while a man stands at the front pushing/guiding you along like a gondolier.
Suzanne and Emily on a bamboo raft.
Photo Credit: Emily Schwartz
I spent the entire ride crouching uncomfortably or standing in an effort to avoid getting my shorts wet. We had an hour-long songtail ride to get back to Chiang Mai, then a 20-minute walk back to our place. If there was a way that I could raft this river and still have a comfortable and dry ride home, you better believe I was shooting for that.
About 5 minutes to the end of the ride, our 'gondolier' told us that we had a choice: stay on the raft and get wet or get off and meet him on the other side to finish our ride. I had worked so hard to be comfortable and dry; of course I was getting off if given the chance.
I climbed over some rocks, past some snakes to meet the raft. On the other side, what should I find but something of a swimming spot where people were jumping off the very rock I was standing on into the water.
Those of you who are risk-taking, live-life-to-the-fullest, have-fun-at-all-costs types may not appreciate or understand the dilemma I found myself in at that moment. There I stood: having achieved my goal of remaining dry and thus ensuring that my enjoyable day would not be marred by an uncomfortably wet ride home. But somewhere in the back of my mind was a voice whispering about the exhilaration of leaping from that cliff, about adventure, about never having this opportunity again.
I was not afraid. There was very little danger– the water was obviously deep enough. I can swim. The only choice I had to make was whether I was willing to give up my comfort and throw away the "work" I had already put into preserving that comfort.
And so, at the last possible second, and to the surprise of everyone, I stepped up onto the rock. And jumped.
Photo Credit: Brittany Valdivia
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So often with God and in life we have a choice to remain comfortable or to do something harder, riskier, and unknown. Sometimes we even have to let go of the work we've put into creating or protecting that level of comfort. My prayer and my goal is that I never pursue the comfortable when God calls me to take a risk.
What about you? Have you ever chosen between being comfortable and taking a risk? What did you choose?
