Adventure Awaits
How many of you would say you are adventurous? Are you willing to try new things and take on new risks, ideas, or experiences? Summer is a great time to be adventurous. Vacation time seems to be an obvious way to adventure into new territory and see new sights. But, even without vacation, the summer allows us time to slow down, breathe in, and think about a new way we might want to challenge ourselves. It could be training for an event we have never done, like hiking a 14ner, participating in a triathlon, or walking a 5k race. A new challenge for you might be learning an instrument, agreeing to speak in public, or helping at a local food bank. The thing with adventures is you never know exactly how they are going to go. Because they are new, there is an element of surprise. What will we find when we try an adventure?
Fear is an inhibitor of adventure. When we ask “what if” and follow that with any fearful statement about what could go wrong, we stop ourselves from adventuring. We often see this happen in the Bible, where God asks His people to do adventurous things, and they ask, ‘What if?’ Let’s take the example of Moses. God called him to go to Egypt and set His people free. What an invitation to an adventure! But Moses, like many of us, was filled with fear and doubt. He asked, ‘What if?’ so many times that God began to get angry. Moses even went so far as to say, ‘You have chosen the wrong guy.’ But God, in His infinite wisdom and patience, reassured Moses and promised to be with him every step of the way.
10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” 13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” 14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
Exodus 4:10-16
God invites us as His followers to be adventurous. When we quiet that spirit of adventure because we worry about all the “what ifs,” we miss opportunities to experience God’s power. God did not choose Moses because he was an excellent speaker, David because he was an intimidating presence, or Mary because she was a particularly bold woman. God chose these people to do adventurous things because He knew they believed in Him. God invites us to adventure because He knows His power will become evident to us through our inability to do the adventure on our own. The apostle Paul writes about this in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”
So, if you feel a tug from the Lord to try something new: To share the Gospel with an unbelieving friend or coworker; to serve on a Mission Team in a country you have never been to; or to step up in leadership, say “yes.” You don’t have to have it all figured out. God will make a way. Know that through this experience of trusting God, you will grow as you see His power made perfect in your weakness.
We invite you to attend with us at Connections Church. We are a growing church that longs to take risks, try new things, and trust God to show us our next steps. We invite you to adventure with us!
Erin M. Reynolds, Ph.D.
linkedin.com/in/drerinmreynolds
Friend of Connections Church
