Keeping the Adventure Alive!

Deep inside every man is the desire for adventure. We want to be a part of something exciting, something challenging, maybe even something that will change the world, if we aren't too scared to let ourselves dream big.

Do you remember what it was like growing up? I was lucky enough to grow up in the country, surrounded by miles and miles of land just waiting to be explored. Me and my brothers would spend our days building forts,  digging holes, climbing trees, and racing our bikes. The older we got the farther we would explore, and the more extreme our activities became. Me and my brothers and our friends would be playing paint ball, rock climbing, four wheeling, swimming, and all sorts of craziness and fun. 

So when did it end? One day we wake up and it's gone. Somehow it slips away. We "grow up". We have to get a job, go to college, be responsible, be a good little member of society. 

But deep inside, that love of the adventure is still hiding.

It is there for a reason. It is there because it is a part of God. It is there because our entire existence is God's great adventure. Satan wants us to lose sight of it. To get caught up in the everyday blah blah blah that is our normal life. He wants to distracted us from what God created us to be.

So the question is: How do we keep the adventure alive in our everyday lives? We can't always pick up and head to the mountains for a weekend of adventure. But there has to be a way to hang on to that feeling of excitement. Sometimes we forget that it is OK to have fun, it's OK to be goofy, it's OK to remember what it's like to be a part of an adventure.

It is not always easy to find adventure in the midst of suburban America. Everything is safe and tame and predictable. I try to break it up a little. To keep the excitement alive.

The other day me and my wife's family were all together at her parent's house. When it's nice out, we all like to go out to the yard and play a game or two of croquet. Well, after one such game the girls were ready to head in but us guys were still up for one more game. I suggested that we spice it up a bit and we came up with Extreme Croquet. We played with all the same rules except that you had to be running when you hit the ball and there could be no more then five seconds between hits or you would lose your turn. So there we were, (me and my three brother-in-laws) racing around the yard swinging our mallets like a bunch of mad men and it was the most fun we have had in quite a while.

It is the little things like that that can keep the adventure alive, and when we love life and it shows in every part of our lives that is what makes our friends and coworkers stop and wonder why we are so different. What do we have that keeps us going strong when others give up. Why are we happy when everyone is just trying to get to the end of the day.

So keep the adventure alive! Have fun! Show the world what life can be when we live how God created us to live!

If you have any ideas or stories about keeping the adventure alive, feel free to add a comment!