For When the Journey is About More than Adventure

Photo by Donna Pyle

I don't know about you, but I love to travel.

I love adventure.

• I've white water rafted through the Grand Canyon. 
• Wandered through the maze of old city streets in Jerusalem.
• Explored castle ruins in Scotland.
• Investigated the secrets of Notre Dame in Paris.
• Strolled through the gilded hallways of Versailles.
• Taken a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee.
• Witnessed the changing of the guards in London.
• Walked in silence among the Titanic gravestones in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• Climbed Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica.
• Stared for hours at beautiful stained glass windows in the Canterbury Cathedral.
• Stood in awe at Calvary where Jesus died to give us life.

Did I mention I love adventure?

Tomorrow, I board a cruise ship headed toward Alaska. While visiting family holds down the fort at home, my senses are reeling in anticipation of beholding some of God's most stunning creation. 

But my soul is reeling for a different reason.

I've been invited to teach Bible classes on board. That's the whole point of the trip. The scenery may be breathtaking, but we'll be digesting it with the Bread of Life as the main course.

A greater privilege I cannot fathom.

But as I zip the final scarf into my suitcase, a startling revelation brings me to my knees:

In the excitement of adventures, sometimes I forget to thank God for experiencing the journey itself.

In this grab-everything-you-can-while-you-can-get-it culture, our bucket lists are impressive and growing. But why do we look for more to fill our buckets instead of thanking God for all the ways He's already filled our cup?

As Ann Voskamp stated so beautifully in her blog on Tuesday, "Experiences are a grace, yes — but ultimately? Exhilaration isn’t in experiences, but in exalting Christ."

Exactly.

I've seen the unmistakable fingerprints of God in every place I've been. I come face-to-face with His creation each time - whether it's lines on a weathered face or lines in a dry creek bed in the Israeli desert.

Sometimes what my eyes behold stuns me into silence. Sometimes it exhilarates me to shout out.

Either way, God is always there.

   Never more than a prayer away.

      Closer than my next breath.

And I can't imagine any adventure without Him. Our journey is about so much more than adventure.

Following Christ is the greatest adventure.

So what about you? Do you love adventure? Do you notice the thumbprints of God in the ordinary and extraordinary along your journey?

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My new Bible study, The God of All Comfort, is now available
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