An Adventure With God

A couple of weeks ago, when Joe Dunlap was teaching the Auditorium Class, he made a comment that has been on my mind a lot lately.  In his discussion of the influence we have on others – especially our young people – he made the statement that people need to see us going on an adventure with God.  As I have reflected on this concept I am enthralled with the idea.  It is tempting to see a spiritual life as series of checkpoints to be crossed; but, a better description might be a spiritual journey or, as Joe said, an adventure.  One of the great things about the Old Testament is the library of individual stories it contains.  Whether it is through the life of Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, Daniel or a host of others, the inspired historians chronical the adventurous journeys of the great men and women of faith.  These accounts don’t just relate facts, they paint a portrait colored with victories, struggles, good and bad.  In the end, these heroes shine as success stories; but, often it is how they lived not what they attained that makes them inspiring.

While the Old Testament is a great catalogue of successful adventures there is something to be said for the value of seeing these journeys played out in front of us.  The Apostle Paul would tell his children in the faith; “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1).  He would also encourage mentorship by telling the older women to be role models for the younger women (Titus 2:4).   In essence, our most poignant examples can be those we personally know and love.  Through the years many of us have told people how to live; but, have we done as good of a job showing people how we have lived?  In an effort to support our message, we may have been guilty of hiding our frailties.  We don’t want people to think poorly of us so we sanitize our lives and tend to only show our “Sunday Best”.  In an effort to avoid being called a hypocrite or allowing our actions to detract from our message we have a tendency to downplay the adventure we call life.  It’s almost like our story is sterile.  While this might make our teaching more palatable; it can also put undue stress on those who are watching us.  By only showing the “best of” ourselves; people misunderstand how messy the adventure can be and become discouraged when they face the realities of life.  While I don’t advocate that we share EVERYTHING about our journey; I believe a fair and balanced story can encourage and inspire the people around us.


Do we see ourselves on an adventure with God?  Do others see us on a journey heading toward glory?  By sharing our lives with each other, we can help one another achieve the potential that exists in all of us.  

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