Mostly I stayed home today. The storm is now blowing itself out, and rather than post a photo of the waves or floods, I looked out a picture from our Alaskan adventure. (I say “adventure” but we were guided and kept comfortable and safe by the cruise company!)
This is Glacier Bay. Majestic, isn’t it. The small ship on the right side holds about 150 people, so you get a feel for the sheer size and grandeur of the landscape.
I will always remember the silence. A sense of awe touched me- though I will probably never see Glacier Bay again, it is one of those places that- with just a photo- can make my soul tingle. This is truly wilderness; there are dangers on every side- on land, sea and ice. My respect for those explorers who came here by boat is beyond words. Apparently, the entire area of sea seen here was frozen under the original glacial ice. It would have been an entirely different view. The ice has retreated that much within my lifetime.
The spirit of adventure has been tamed for most of us. Safe and sanitised, we admire what we see from a safe distance. Actually donning climbing gear and striking off up into the frigid wilderness is not on our agenda: we could console ourselves by saying that access is strictly regulated, and so we’re “not allowed” to be bold! Would we go, if “they” let us?
Take a mental leap back a bit. When we were young, carefree, without responsibilities… how much adventuring did we do?
Back in the Biblical times, adventuring was part of faith! Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and David heard a “call” from God: and their lives re-wrote history. Queen Esther risked her life in high political drama, Ruth embraced Yahweh’s vision and is named as an ancestor of Jesus. The whole incarnation of Jesus was a risky adventure (or so it looks to our eyes). Disciples became missionaries; Stephen was martyred. Paul’s life was turned upside down. He spend the rest of his days turning the world the right way up- and died because his faith.
William Carey refused to accept the status quo and responded to the Lord’s urging to travel to India to share good news. His catchphrase? “Expect great things FROM God, and attempt great things FOR God.” Carey’s spirit of adventure lit the fuse on the great missionary efforts to “make disciples of all nations” which transformed society all over the globe. (Mistakes have been made historically, and Christian mission has not been perfect- but the overall effect has been positive and profound.)
“Hebrews” lists the great examples of faith, and describes their adventures- and their sufferings. Hebrews 11 v38 says “the world was not worthy of them.”
I wonder… what might God do today through a fresh generation of disciples who live out their faith in a “spirit of adventure” ???
We can observe safely as “armchair explorers” – or get involved and make a difference. Only God knows what adventures await those who trust and obey. Walking the Way of Jesus is no soft option: but He is the Way, Truth, and Life.
The Reflectionary 