Once I read a book series called Adventurers Wanted. It was a series that dealt with a kid living a pretty boring life, who one day walked into a book store that had a sign that asked for Adventurers. What happened next threw him into a fantasy world where he gained powers, amassed riches, and saved the world from all kinds of terrors and threats. Toward the end of the series, he realized that he had become so used to being in the world where he was a hero that the “real” world made no sense to him, so he eventually decided to stay in the fantasy world, because in that world he had become the person he had always seen himself becoming.

I think about this now, because on Sunday someone that I really admire reminded me that life is an adventure. He told me that for the adventure that God has asked our family to go on, we had to remember that God was going with us; that He had gone before us. The one thing that I didn’t expect Him to say was that God was excited to go on this adventure along with us. For some reason, this kind of took me by surprise. I recognize that this path is one that God has already seen the end of, so why would He be excited that we said YES to going?

Later on it hit me. God delights in us. Any moments that we spend with Him are precious not only to us, but even more to Him. We can not even begin to understand the depth of the delight that God takes in spending time with us, mainly because most times we can’t even stand to be alone with ourselves for 5 minutes, much less the length of time that it takes to get where God wants to take us. Yet even in our self-loathing, God loves us and is actively looking for adventurers.

Abraham went on an adventure with God, and as he walked in faith and trust, God revealed to him who he was. He experienced blessing beyond his wildest dreams. Joseph went on an adventure with God, and while a good portion of his life was fraught with heartache and despair, the end of his life redeemed all of those low moments. Moses went on an adventure with God, and it led to an entire nation of people being freed from the bonds of slavery.

Adventures are built around experiences that build us and reveal our true character, as well as unearth the people that we are destined to be. I believe that God is absolutely gleeful when we tell Him yes to going with Him, because He gets to show us all of the amazing sights along the way. He gets to take us by the hand and show us flowers and sometimes He might pause us so that we can feel the breeze in our hair, or over our bald scalps, if you’re like me. And the point of every adventure if that we grow and become more than we ever thought that we could be. Yes, adventures are scary. Yes, they can be dangerous. Yes, they make us uneasy and unsure. However, when God is the guide on the adventure, what might seem like a series of completely random events becomes a series upon which a fully realized life can be built, and a fully established relationship can be formed.

So God is looking. Waiting. Watching. He’s looking to see who is willing to forsake the fear, careen ahead despite a lack of courage. He is jumping up and down waiting on you to say YES! There are so many things that He longs to show you. So many things He can’t wait to bring out of you. He is standing in front of you right now with a sign in His hand and a smile on His face.

Adventurers Wanted.