Around my house things are changing. We have quickly moved away from all things baby and have arrived at the point of a little boy. Over the past few months, my son has become engrossed with all things hero. Star Wars, Batman, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Spider Man, Superman, basically if it looks like it could save the day, he loves it. Ben loves to fight by holding up his fists and saying, "I fight!" His room is Avengers, his pajamas are Batman and Superman, and his bath towel is Star Wars.
From a very early age, Ben has loved adventure. Sticks are swords, guns, lightsabers, or any other form of weapon. My hope is that as Ben gets older, he will not "grow out" of his adventurous nature. By that I don't mean at 25 he is sitting around in Captain American underoos with a Thor beer helmet on eating cereal out of a Hulk bowl. What I mean is that I hope Ben never loses his sense of adventure. Do I want him cliffdiving? Not especially. Do I want him basejumping? Not really.
Adventure for me is a very real idea. Books contain loads of adventure and I feel like God has talented many people to write adventures in stories that would never get to occur outside the pages of a book. Also take into consideration that I am a 25-year old 5th grade Science teacher who works with middle school guys. Maybe not the highest marker of an adventurous life, maybe books contain alot of adventure for me. But that doesn't mean I can't live an adventure. For me, an adventure is anything that is out of an ordinary routine. When I break out of the everyday cycle and venture into the unknown, then I have adventured.
Is an adventure just about adrenaline? Is it just about the rush? Because I see loads of adventure when I look at the Bible. You want action? It's there. Read just about any story with Elijah or Elisha. Delve into the stories of David and Joseph, Moses and Jacob. Those men had adventures. But then I ask myself, how can I have an adventure like that today? There are no giants to slay, no Pharoahs to dethrone, no angels to wrestle.
Yet God calls each and every one of us into an adventure. Specific to who we are, where we are, and most likely unique to us. Many would not consider teaching an adventure, and while most would consider working with middle schoolers an adventure, it's not something they would willingly take on. But God has called me to this specific place, in this specific time, to go on adventures in my life. Whether it's answering some of my student's questions at school, or hanging out with middle schoolers, or doing something new with my family, these are my adventures. Will they go into a book? Will my life become a movie? No, but still I take up the adventure that has been given to me, rushing headlong into the fray that is my life, sword and shield or not, it is mine.
