This is the great adventure!
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
Kayaking on the Arkansas River in the spring when the snow melts is not for the inexperienced or the faint of heart. While sections of the river have enough current to move you through the waters, other areas churn water into dangerous rapids, leaving exposed kayakers vulnerable to hidden rocks and the dangerous debris carried downstream. It takes a lot of experience and foresight to safely navigate your way.
And the high water level season on the Arkansas is short. After a few weeks the levels drop dramatically as the mountain snow-melt ends and summer weather arrives. If you want to experience the ideal conditions you must hurry to take advantage of the moment. But why do it at all? It’s an adventure! It’s challenging! It’s fun!
I want to see each new challenge as a positive adventure God is giving me, but at times I only see the rocks and waves. I focus on how much effort it will take to get through the strong currents back to feeling safe. Part of my soul knows I am missing something with this outlook. I don’t just want to survive the waves—I want to dance on them! I want to live as though each day
I can bring God glory, but I feel more like Isaiah,
“He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory.’
I (Isaiah) replied, ‘But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand;
I will trust God for my reward.’”
Isaiah 49:3-4 New Living Translation
Leave it in the Lord’s hand. Sure, except I want to control the journey and the outcome. And when I take control, that is when the current drags me under and I am overcome by the waves. Ever feel this way?
Life is short. Pursue with all your heart the adventure that waits. God will prepare you for it. It’s a promise in His Word—to give you hope and a future. He gives you courage to step out and pursue a new path designed by God himself, for His glory. He freely gives the voice you need, endurance for the journey, wisdom for the plans. He takes every step with you through the rapids and currents of life—whether calm or stormy. He fights for and protects you in every spiritual battle faced, equips you to be more than a conqueror—you will dance on the waves before Him! Then He rejoices and celebrates with you over each accomplishment!
“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”
Psalm 16:11 New Living Translation
Enjoy the adventure!
Text and Picture Copyright Desiree Bustamante
In this episode of the Praying With The Eyes podcast, Pastor Doug Brauner and Richelle Hecker explore the issue of optimism in relationship to pessimism and realism. Can Christians be optimists? And if so, how does Christian optimism differ from others. In their discussion they talk about the difference between optimism based on humanity and that which is based on redemption. At the end of the podcast they discuss Dave Brukiewa’s blog, “Unbelievable,” and how the freedom we have in Christ encourages us to be optimists. 