How To Live The Best Adventure of All

|
 
 

We got lost yesterday in a place we know well.

We’d taken a drive to our favorite park, the one with eighty acres of woods and winding trails and a great big rock plopped oddly in the middle of it all.

 

We’d planned to hike straight to the clearing where the big boulder sits, to take the trail we know by heart and let the small ones climb atop that giant gray stone as if they were scaling a mighty mountain.

But as we crossed the bridge that spans the width of the meandering creek, we noticed another path snaking beneath the golden canopy of trees.

And it looked so inviting with its crunchy-leaf carpet and acorn-lined edges that we chose a different route. 

Just this once.

 


It was fun at first-
all the exploring and discovering; the treasure hunting and cool-leaf finding.

We sang silly songs about forest fairies and big black bears, trilled off-key until our eyes spotted beasts behind every tree and our ears detected the flutter of wings in the whistling wind.
 
We snapped twigs beneath every step, raced over slopes and skipped across gullies.
 
The girls  balanced like gymnasts on fallen logs and hosted a ballet recital right there on the stage of Autumn’s earth and sky.

We found homes for critters.

And homes for kids.

And we pretended we were camping in Narnia, stuffed our pockets full of hickory nuts and dainty seeds, jewels from our afternoon travels.

 
 
 
 

But as the sun sank, the magic faded.

Pirouettes ceased.

The crisp air spawned quiet shivers and weary legs.

Our motley melodies waned and our skipping slowed to a shuffle.

No more bending low to collect  treasures scattered free and wide across the leaf-lined paths.

 
No more pauses to stroke the soft emerald velvet growing on ancient tree-trunks. 
 
Just the echo of brittle branches giving way beneath our feet, the wistful cry of an owl willing itself awake.

And the disgruntled murmur of my five-year-old.

 


I can’t believe we haven’t found the rock yet. 
Why didn’t we just take the right trail? Josh complained.

Hannah squeezed her little brother’s hand and tried to make peace.
But, Josh, we found so many treasures on this path. 

She waved her plastic bag filled with nature’s bounty and flashed our boy a forced a smile.

Who cares? Josh shot back, his tired toes kicking the dusty foliage beneath his feet.

 We just wasted all our time hiking around and around and now it’s getting dark.
And my feet just want to stand on the rock. 

I took my cranky one’s hand and thought of the family I’d met when I was teaching at a big yellow school house tucked in the shadow of the Austrian Alps…

The family had traveled the world and had come to work at the school where my teaching career had its start.

There were four of them- two parents and two kids- and they spoke the language of adventure.

They had taught students on four continents and had plans to step foot on the other three before their lives expired.

They had collected trinkets and treasure from the Orient and the tropics, had swum in the Mediterranean Sea and had climbed mountains in New Zealand.

But they had never found the Rock, had never met the One who had shaped the world they were exploring with zeal.

I will never forget their little children’s eyes–so blue and so empty– 
 the look of ones who had traveled the globe but never traveled the path to the Savior’s heart. 

 

I remember how the little boy had cried when his mommy spoke of his new school and the new language he would have to learn if he wanted to make friends in this country, too.

And how the little girl had climbed on my lap one day at lunch and asked “Where did you get your smile and why do your eyes sparkle like you’re laughing even when you’re not?”

How I wish I would have told her that my smile had to do with my feet, 
that the sparkle in my eyes came from my stance on the Rock.

I wish I’d pulled her close and told her of Jesus, the One who never changes, even when your address does.

I wish I’d introduced her to the One who speaks truth even when your language switches from year to year and your mind spins in constant confusion.

I wish I’d tucked her red-ribboned pigtails behind her ears and whispered words of life that day-
 Jesus loves you, this I know, for the Bible tells me so…. 

But I was still just finding my way back then, too; still searching for my own story worth telling.

I hadn’t yet learned that the greatest tales are etched on the Rock; hadn’t yet discovered that the grandest adventures are always launched from our knees.

I didn’t know then that the trails worth traveling always start and end with Jesus…

Joshua’s steps were slowing and my fingers were growing cold.

I wondered if that little girl had ever lingered beneath golden trees and inhaled the crisp scent of fallen leaves and splintered twigs. Wondered on what continent her feet strode now.

I stared at the timberline and wondered where we were, chided myself again for choosing the path to nowhere.

But then Hannah’s squeal spurred a sprint.

I think that’s the creek again, Mom! Now we can just start over and take the RIGHT trail.

And sure enough, I spied the bridge where it had all begun.

Can we please find the rock now? Joshua asked through chattering teeth.

 

 
 
 I nodded at my brown-haired boy and led the way down that path we know so well.
 

And as dusk dropped low, we began the best adventure of all!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Overflow: 
God, the one and only… 
He’s solid rock under my feet,
breathing room for my soul, 
An impregnable castle: 
I’m set for life.
-Psalm 62:5-6, The Message

Still counting these “jewels” from the best adventure of all…

1423. Josh building intricate structures with Dominoes.

1424. Quiet car time with Rob

1425. Lizzy curled up on the couch talking to me about her “God thoughts”

1426. When prayer paves the way…. God has my girls covered!

1427.  Lizzy- “Mom, could you print out that Bible verse so I can stick it in Hannah’s locker?”

1428. Josh to the photo helper at school on picture day: “The most important thing isn’t my smile… it’s the joy in my heart.” 🙂

1429.  Liz feeding baby goats at the pumpkin farms with little sisters leaning in close.

1430. A daddy who can help with late night math homework.

1431. A new kitty to cuddle

1432. A hot mug of coffee to warm my hands at a cold soccer game.

1433. Maggie tucked in on the bottom bunk of her “new bed.”

1434. Hannah missing her “old roommate”… tears cried for big sister even though Lizzy just “moved” across the hall.

1435. Isaiah’s orange sleep-over bag on the floor.. the blessing of an old friend returned for a while.

Linking again in community with Ann and these lovely grace seekers:  
l.l. for on, in, and around mondayslaura for playdates with god, 
and jen for soli deo gloria 



What’s been your best adventure lately?

Alicia

9 Comments

  1. Sweet adventures, I could see my own son getting worried about not getting to the rock with the sun going down. It’s all fun and games till your in a forest lost at night 🙂 You weave a story so beautifully, it’s easy to get lost in your words.

  2. Ah, yes.. dresses is just daily attire for the princesses here 🙂 After my first daughter declared herself a ‘tomcat” (tomboy) in kindergarten, I realized dresses might be short lived. So now we just savor the season of ruffles and lace like we savor the fleeting gift of summertime 🙂

  3. What an adventure, Alicia! And I love that your girls go hiking in dresses. Now there’s some faith for you 🙂 beautiful pictures and I always love hearing how you share with your littles.

  4. Lovely, lovely, lovely. My favorite part of your writing is your signature way of taking the time to fully describe, making me feel as though I’m part of the story. Love all the analogies, too. Blessings to you today!

  5. I love your analogy here. The path that leads to nowhere can be so enticing and seem right for a while, until the day draws to a close and you realize you are lost. How often do we do our own thing and then wonder where God (that rock) is? Just love this picture!

  6. Jennifer {Studio JRU} says:

    What a fantastic adventure! Your family is so sweet. I love quiet time in the car with my husband. I love holding a warm mug of something to keep my hands warm! 🙂

  7. The great tales are etched on the Rock. Beautiful! Your pictures are lovely, too. Sounds like a wonderful adventure, but on the trail and off it.

  8. Oh How I miss the ROCK!!
    I miss Pella…and I miss you guys!
    I have even missed reading your blog!
    I am finally hooked up to the net again! Hooray!
    Miss you!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.