Adventure and risk comes in all shapes and sizes. I used to think they only looked like life on a pirate ship, trekking up a mountain with gypsies, or journeying to a far off place to defeat evil.
But,
in reality, that was just another case of me putting my own parameters on God’s
storytelling in my life. After backpacking Europe this summer, I began praying
about my next adventure. I wanted it to be exciting and scary and bring me
closer to God. I was thinking something like biking the Great Wall of China or
traveling to Nepal to help dig wells for fresh water. I was thinking I’d
conquer Mt. Whitney or kayak to Catalina Island. Instead, God blessed me with a
job interview and, later, a job offer.
"Hello, my name is Rachael Curtis and I'm a Content Editor with KWSM. It's a pleasure to meet you."
(I'm still mastering the art of professional small-talk)
I
panicked. For a few reasons. One was facing a life that seemed ordered and
ordinary. Where is the adventure in that? The other was because I was terrified
of becoming an adult. Yes, at 25 I was still coming to terms with adulthood.
When you are an adult, people expect things of you. When you are an adult,
people don’t expect you to fail. When you are an adult, you are your first line
of defense against the world. Well, besides Jesus, I guess.
As
it turns out, God is a great adventure planner. Although I haven’t hiked or
biked or pirated, he’s been calling me to take risks and step out in faith
without even leaving the cushy bubble of the OC. Let me tell you, it is a scary
thing when you are being taken seriously professionally. All of the sudden I
was a person with “clients” and
“meetings” and “deadlines”. I was and am living out of my comfort zone, out of
my skill zone and out of my league. Which, I am finding out, is exactly where
God wants me to be.
And I'm a big fan of magic.
It
is a sweet and new time with God. He and I have been through so much together.
Chaos, tragedy, triumph. All big things. I never thought I’d be learning about Him in a new way in things that are so…well…normal. By taking the risk to
follow God out of my comfort zone, I am so aware of how much He is needed. It
sounds like a super cheesy-Christian-book-cliché, but I can honestly say that I know that God is holding my hand through this transition into adulthood. And
it’s exciting. And a little scary. And I have never felt closer to him.
Adventure is closer than you think.
Don’t
get me wrong, I am still chasing after my old ideas of adventure, too. I’m
constantly daydreaming about treks to Peru, planning road trips into Canada and
setting big goals for 2013. I’m still daring to dream. But God is showing me
that wherever He is calling us, adventure waits. Here’s to you and your
adventures this year. Happy February!
