As a kid, I lived for two years on my grandfather’s ranch in South Carolina. It was there that I discovered cattle, horses, fishing, and hunting. I grew to love the smell of a pond and hay. Put me beside some water, and I am taken back to those early years. Put me in a hay-stacked barn, and I’m in heaven.
The ranch was adventure. Walking a corn field, a 20-gauge shotgun under my arm with my trusty (but not very well trained) bird dog, Dan, was adventure. Baling hay in the barn was adventure.
God made me for the outdoors. As you are reading this blog, I’m high up in the Rocky Mountains hunting for one of the most elusive, secluded, big-game animals in North America, elk. I have been hunting elk in the Rockies for over 20 years. Every fall, my sons and I, and a group of men, plan, strategize, pack, and dream about the hunt. We drive up steep wilderness roads, navigate snow and ice, and sometimes, due to fallen trees, get out the chainsaws and cut our way to our destination. We camp in a canvas tent with a little wood- burning stove to keep us warm. It’s always muddy, snowy, cold, and an adventure. We love it.
Jesus said, “I came that you might have life and life that is abundant.” (John 10:10) God put adventure into every man’s and woman’s soul. It’s the God-image within us that was built into all of us the day we were conceived. Even a baby loves adventure! Just take that baby and toss him or her in the air, and you will soon hear the scream of joy and fear in that baby. Then try to stop. That child will shout for more!
We are hardwired for adventure. It’s what keeps us alive. Every man, woman, and child longs for adventure. If properly channeled, it draws us closer to God and His creation.
God has adventure for your life.
What is adventure for you? Everyone is different. One man’s adventure is another man’s boredom. Let me challenge you to find adventure in your life. If your life has become stale, boring, and mundane, how about breaking out of your schedule, and find godly, joyful adventure. You just might find out that you’re missing something God-like within you, and you just might come alive in a new way!
On an Adventure in the Rockies,
Pastor Steve
