Devotional: Accepting Our Adventure

” The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.” — J R R Tolkien

The story of Moses and the burning bush is, more than anything else, the start of an adventure. It begins a quest for Moses: a quest to free the people of Israel from slavery. As well, it marks the start of an epoch desert adventure for all the people of Israel, fraught with defeat, danger, and triumph. But the most remarkable aspect of the story is how divided Moses seems to be about accepting his quest.

When he first encounters the burning bush, Moses is consumed with curiosity, and goes to investigate right away, and see why it doesn’t burn up. But when he realizes that the angel of the Lord is within the bush, he becomes afraid to look, and hides his face.

How many of us do the same thing? Many of us long, deep inside, for something exciting to happen. We want change, and we want things to improve in our own lives, and in the rest of the world. But when we encounter a situation that offers the excitement and change we think we want so badly, we become afraid and hide our faces so we don’t have to look. When it comes right down to it, going on a mission trip next summer wouldn’t fit the schedule. In this economy, changing jobs is just too risky. We’ll do it when we have time. We’ll do it when things are more secure. Someday, we’ll live a more adventurous life. But not today. Probably not tomorrow, either.

“The rush of years just tumbles on, and we get caught in the tide, just a teardrop in the river wild of time.
We don’t have to be legends, but our eyes need to be wide, or we’ll miss the history that’s passing buy.
You don’t have to conquer alien lands, or rule empires with an iron hand; you don’t have to be a hero or a nave.
You just have to live the life you choose, no matter if you win or lose.
At least you had the wisdom to be brave!” — Terence Chua

The next difficulty Moses struggles with is one that most of us are familiar with: “Who am I,” he asks. He doesn’t believe that he is good enough to be successful. He doesn’t believe that he, Moses, could really make a difference. He doesn’t see why it should be someone like him; aren’t other people far more qualified for this sort of thing? He is flawed; shouldn’t the people doing tasks this important be perfect?

How many of us use that as an excuse to avoid our own adventures? What good would we be at habitat for humanity? We don’t know anything about building houses; we’ll let more qualified people do that. We can’t be leaders, because we have no leadership experience. We’re just one person. What difference do our donations make, really? What do we know about politics? We’ll let people who know what they’re doing campaign. We only have one vote; what difference does one vote make? We’ll keep doing what we’re comfortable with; that’s what we’re good at, anyway. Someday we’ll do something different, but not until we’re good and ready.

“Living is learning,
of star shine and wonder,
of dew drops and thunder,
the world and yourself.
Inside be turning,
and outward be growing.
You won’t find this knowing
in books on a shelf.
Learning is doing,
not watching and waiting,
or sadly debating,
what you fear to try.” — Mercedes Lackey

We pray that we are able to take a fresh look at the world around us, and see all the adventures taking place there. We pray for the wisdom to see the adventures we are called to undertake, and the ability to see how we can make a difference. We pray for the courage to act, and to take a stand, even though we may feel insecure, under qualified, and small. We pray for the ability to apply the lessons we learn in God’s grand adventure story, the bible, to our own on-going adventures. We pray that we may be granted an understanding of our place in God’s plan. But most of all, we pray for the knowledge that no matter how outnumbered and alone we may feel during our adventures, no matter what fears we may face or how long the roads we may walk, we are never left to adventure on our own. Our God is with us.

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