Tally-Ho! You Were Made for Adventure!

Nathan and Kurt Bubnaon top of Mt Hood
Nathan and Kurt Bubna
on top of Mt Hood

Okay, let’s be honest, some of you read the title of this blog post and thought, “Whatever. Here he goes again trying to push me out of my nice, safe bubble.”

You’re comfortable. Content. Satisfied. The last thing you want to read about is adventure. You’re thinking, “No way! I’ll just stay in my PJs and enjoy my coffee today. Thank you very much.”

I understand. For many, adventure is synonymous with struggle, hardship, and pain. The word dials up images of someone attempting to climb Mt. Everest or trying to swim the English Channel. We might like to watch the documentaries or read about it in Call of the Wild, but we prefer to experience our adventures vicariously from the comfort of a Lazy Boy recliner.

For many, adventure is a four-letter word.

But what if God made you for more than a safe, routine, and boring life? What if you were created in his image to discover, to explore, and to live life on the edge? What if he designed the human race “to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before”? (Yes, I’m a Trekkie.)

I’ve climbed mountains, trekked the Himalayas, finished two marathons, sailed the Caribbean where pirates once roamed, and walked city streets from Hollywood to Hong Kong to Scotland. I’ve even parachuted out of a perfectly good plane at 12,000 feet (what a rush!). Perhaps, however, we need to look at adventure in a different light.

All of these exciting adventures of mine are treasured memories, but I’ve discovered that most of life’s adventures can be experienced in everyday life. You can know and experience adventure as you decide to be fully present and fully His wherever you are and whatever you do.

Parenting can be an adventure if you intentionally engage your children with a view to helping them become everything God wants them to become.

Marriage can be an adventure if you choose to be a student of your spouse no matter how long you’ve been married or how well you think you know each other.

Friendship can be an adventure if you resolve to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron.

Going to work, getting coffee at Starbucks, shopping at Costco, or taking a walk in your neighborhood can be an adventure if you see every encounter as a divine appointment and opportunity to be like Jesus to the world around you.

Here’s what I’m suggesting: Attitude and perspective determine the measure of your adventure. You can aimlessly wander through life on cruise control or see every moment as a gift and live with God-inspired intentionality. That, my friends, is the key to living the adventure the Father has planned for you.

So tally-ho! Go for it! Adventure in the Kingdom is what you were made for. Why would you want to settle for anything less?

Kurt Bubna

Kurt W. Bubna has published seven books, is an internationally recognized blogger, conference and retreat speaker, as well as an experienced life and leadership coach. Bubna has over forty years of experience working with individuals, teams, and a wide variety of business and non-profit organizations.