Picture this.
You’re on a beach in the Philippines, on an overcast day with a cool breeze. To your left, the beach extends into a grove of palm trees. To your right, the sand turns to rocks, which meld into a steep cliff face jutting into the ocean. In front of you, only the blue waves meet the horizon. Underneath your feet, smooth black sand squishes between your toes.
You grab your surfboard and velcro the leash to your ankle, running into the waves and paddling hard. You’re next to a few of your close friends, aka your teammates, and all you can hear over the waves is the sound of laughter and screams of “catch that wave!”
It’s picture perfect. So why doesn’t it satisfy?
That picture, that day off — that was mine last week. Our team left Children’s Garden early in the morning and spent the day surfing at a secluded beach and swimming in a hidden waterfall pool, and recounting the events, the pieces add up to a great day. But quite honestly, that day doesn’t even make it on the list of my favorite days in the Philippines.
The real favorites?
When our team and our boys got into a huge pillow fight that lasted over an hour and resulted in laughter, exhaustion, and maybe a few bruises.
When 13-year old Owan and I sat together sharing our favorite Bible verses, flipping to them and reading in both English and Tagalog.
When we had a movie night to watch Zombieland and The Avengers (because boys), and I had Nick resting on my left shoulder, Owan on my right shoulder, and Ervin and Wendell falling asleep on my legs.
The surfing, the beautiful views…those are great. But nothing compares to love. Nothing compares to seeing redemption in action; to experiencing the Lord in such real ways that it tops any spontaneous adventure I could ever embark on.
I wrote this in my journal the day after we went surfing:
“Maybe it’s that every day here is so great, it’s near impossible to have an off day that tops it. Chasing adventure elsewhere seems pointless when basketball and pillow fights and teenage boys are waiting right next door. This is it. This is life, and it’s ultimately what I want my life to look like – so good and rewarding and soul-filling that off days can’t top it. Wherever I find myself, this is what I want my life to be. No need to chase adventure, because I’m chasing (and finding) Jesus more every day. That’s the real adventure.”
Everyday life is what I’m fighting for, and it’s what I’m living. And when I’m seeking connection with the Lord first, asking for His eyes of love for the people I interact with, then my everyday life is pretty great.
So what am I doing chasing adventures? I want to spend my days chasing Jesus. I want to live from the satisfaction that every day is an adventure with the Lord, and I want to go into each day discovering what He has for me. Being satisfied with every day of my life— that’s up to me. That’s a choice I have to make, to dive in and create relationships, to learn to love deeper, to enjoy the adventure of everyday with the Lord, rather than chasing temporary joy on my days off. But that choice? it’s worth it. Because real joy is on the other end. Joy, and love, and connection, and things that are way better than catching a good wave.
Adventure is out there, but the Lord is with me.
