“Every moment is a fresh beginning.”
- T.S. Eliot
This chapter has been the most difficult for me to write. It is hard to put into words the emotions of a new beginning, a grand adventure. The sheer joy, the anticipation, the rush of taking a chance. Grand adventures come in many shapes and sizes. It could be something as small as going to a movie or restaurant alone for the first time. (Especially if you’re an introvert.) It could be on such a large scale as taking an unplanned trip across the world.
Usually though, we only think of adventures as being those large scale ones we see in movies and what others do in taking large leaps of faith. But they don’t have to be far flung ideas. Taking a step in a new direction is scary. That is an adventure. It is new and unknown to you. It is a choice.
Choices are where grand adventures begin.
Your life has and will be determined by your choices. And life is the grand adventure.
The timing and reasons for choices are different. Starting with new beginnings, I think these are the most exciting. They are the fresh start, the blank slate. Moving to another place, starting a career in an entirely new field are two of the biggest fresh starts people go through. These require a leap of faith. While we may want to change something like this in our lives, it may not be the path God has for you. He might have plans in a different direction. We need to trust when He says no, that He has better for us.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
It is difficult and it can hurt when He says no. I understand! I have been told no many times. I have also learned that His ways and His plans truly are far better than my own. I have left two jobs feeling called to do so and without other employment ready. The first time was far more difficult than the second because it was the first time I had to place my entire faith in God. It was less than a year after college and the position I was in was being divided into two full-time jobs. I would have to choose one or the other in order to stay.
The problem was, I was already bored doing all the work that they were cutting in half. I wasn’t passionate about the work either. God said go and I went. I ended up becoming a substitute teacher to make ends meet while I figured out what I wanted to do with my life and thus a career was born. I become a teacher the next school year. I have been in that field for over a decade now. During my season as a substitute though, I ran into an old co-worker and found out that right after I left, the entire department had undergone a lot of staffing and leadership changes. Those that remained were miserable. God knew something I had not. And He had better for me.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalms 27:14
That verse is my reminder for patience. Wait. God’s ways and His time is not ours. When we trust and give ourselves over to Him though, we honor Him and acknowledge who really is the center of our lives and hearts. And when He is the center, it is easier to take those leaps. That second time I left a job? I had such peace about it. I didn’t second guess the decision. It seemed like a huge leap to others, but they didn’t understand how much easier it gets each time you put your trust in God. Because He is faithful and He has always taken care of my needs.
“If the wind goes where you send it, so will I.”
- Hillsong United, “So Will I (100 Billion X)”
This verse just speaks volumes to me. It is something I sing with my entire being. I want and seek the leaps I am to take. In following God’s path, I find myself transformed.
A favorite movie from my childhood is The Goonies and in it these kids share an adventure. What you get at the end of the movie is strengthened friendships and personal growth in the characters. Adventure does that to you. Transformation takes place by doing something.
Spiritually, transformation occurs from giving ourselves over to God and following His Word.
I have gained so much from this grand adventure of life. I can’t wait to see who I will be a year from now, five years from now. I know that I am not yet who I will become. And neither are you.
“I am standing on the edge of everything I’ve never been before.”
- Switchfoot, “On Fire”
Questions and Challenges:
- What choices are you faced with today? Pray about them. (And then listen.)
- Think back on a time of change. How did that change transform you?
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