An adventure isn’t an adventure without obstacles.
As with most things in life, our trip didn’t go as planned.
Whew, that’s a hefty paragraph about the negative! Look at how easy it was to list off all the things that didn’t go right. It doesn’t take much effort to get bogged down in the less than stellar details.
A lot more went wrong than went right, but I can honestly say we still had a good time. Why? Because we chose to. It would have been so easy to call the trip a failure and be grumpy as we sat in the rain trying to keep warm. Instead? We reminded ourselves that we were on an adventure, and it’s not an adventure without obstacles. It was purely up to us how we wanted to act in the face of those hurdles.
I don’t know what’s going wrong in your adventure today. Maybe your obstacles are scarier than our camping mishaps. Just remember this is your story. You’re the protagonist of this great life. You may not have control over all that happens, but you do have control over how you react. It’s okay to acknowledge when your plans go awry, but don’t let your thoughts linger in that place.
That was my mantra this past weekend when I went camping with my hubby. We
set out with such hopes for our first camping trip together. We had expectations
that can be summed up in a couple words: sun and fun.
As with most things in life, our trip didn’t go as planned.
One of the straps securing our kayak atop our van broke while we were on
the highway. We spent an extra hour finding a solution that didn’t involve
driving farther without the kayak secured. When we arrived at the campground,
we were greeted by rain, and couldn’t get a fire going. Our tent was labeled as
able to hold a queen-sized mattress, but with the mattress in, we couldn’t zip
the door. Because of that, our sleeping bags got wet in the night. Then there
was the outhouse. It smelled so bad that when we left it, we smelled like
toilet. All day. I didn’t even remember to bring a hair tie to get my
toilet-smelling-hair away from my face.
Whew, that’s a hefty paragraph about the negative! Look at how easy it was to list off all the things that didn’t go right. It doesn’t take much effort to get bogged down in the less than stellar details.
There were also great things about the trip, though. The rain let up so we
could kayak on the beautiful lake. Paddling on the water while my husband fished
gave me a lot of uninterrupted time with God. We were able to get a good fire
going our second night, and we indulged in gooey s’mores. The most important
thing, though, was that we had this time away together. It was genuine fun even
if there wasn’t much sun.
A lot more went wrong than went right, but I can honestly say we still had a good time. Why? Because we chose to. It would have been so easy to call the trip a failure and be grumpy as we sat in the rain trying to keep warm. Instead? We reminded ourselves that we were on an adventure, and it’s not an adventure without obstacles. It was purely up to us how we wanted to act in the face of those hurdles.
I don’t know what’s going wrong in your adventure today. Maybe your obstacles are scarier than our camping mishaps. Just remember this is your story. You’re the protagonist of this great life. You may not have control over all that happens, but you do have control over how you react. It’s okay to acknowledge when your plans go awry, but don’t let your thoughts linger in that place.
Train your thoughts and heart on the fact that even when your adventure
gets rocky, God promises He’s there by your side (Deuteronomy 31:6). He doesn’t
promise we won’t feel the rain (Matthew 5:45). In the midst of the rain, though,
He has given us peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7), and joy in the
midst of sorrow (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
Rest in that,
adventurer.
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