Let the Adventure Begin!
Photo by Quinn Neitfeld from Unsplash.
Awesome mountain peaks passed beneath us at 11,000 feet above sea level, a glorious sight to behold from our yellow Lancair single-engine plane. The scene took my breath away. Was it just the scenery? A tightness gripped me as if someone reached into my chest and squeezed my heart—hard—for a few minutes. “Hon. My chest hurts. I’m having trouble breathing,” I puffed out, hoping for relief.
Concerned, my hubby furrowed his brow, “Sweetie, I can’t land the plane right now. Hold on.” I focused on trying to breathe and relax, but it was quite a while before the chest pains faded. A heart attack? No, but I discovered later that I have Printzmetal angina attacks every once in a while. That portion of our adventure followed another exciting twist in our flight.
We needed to land for the night on our trip to see our adult children out west. Beatrice, Nebraska, had a full-service municipal airport with shopping and hotels in the area. They also had a courtesy car. It was ideal in our minds, so we headed that direction then entered the pattern to land. “Lancair November-123-Foxtrot-Romeo to Beatrice. Permission to land.”
“Lancair November-123-Foxtrot-Romeo, you are clear to land,” responded a female voice.
“Thank you. November-123-Foxtrot-Romeo landing on 1-2.” We pulled power as our nose lined up with the centerline of the runway. Our wheels touched down on the asphalt; then, we slowly taxied to the fuel pumps. It was a nice small brick airport in the flat prairie land. We got directions to restaurants, hotels, and the local Walmart as the woman across the counter gave us the keys. “A storm is expected to hit tonight. Do you want to park the plane in a hangar space?” the middle-aged woman inquired.
“That would be great if we could.” We went back out to meet a stocky man dressed in grease-stained coveralls who led us to a spacious airplane hangar. He opened the door allowing us to push our plane inside with a couple of other aircraft. “Thank you!” my Boaz told him.
“Not a problem! It would be awful if your plane were damaged by the storm that’s due to hit us in a couple of hours.” The kind forty-something maintenance man repositioned his sun-faded hat on his head. Motioning us toward an older model pale yellow car, he helped us with our bags to load into the courtesy car. We thanked him and drove off to get food at Walmart, then head to our hotel.
We wheeled a cart around the grocery aisles discussing what would be good to eat that night, breakfast for tomorrow, and a few snacks for our flight the next day. The lights flickered, and the winds howled outside. “Whoa! She wasn’t kidding about the storm, was she?” I exclaimed to my hubby. We stopped where we could peer out the windows and doors near the checkout. The pitch-black sky stood as a backdrop for the drama that was about to unfold. Swirling trash and leaves skittered along the parking lot. We quickly made our way to the checkout so we could beat the rain.
The wind kicked up intently, blowing carts and cart corrals across the nearly empty parking lot. Lightning flashed violently to the tympani of thunder. Dirt bits blew into my eye while we loaded the bags into our car. I blinked until it finally worked out while we drove down the road to the hotel. Our adventure presented some significant dangers, but God’s protective hand covered us the entire time. The next morning was a clear blue sky for our flight to Colorado and New Mexico.
Never in a million years would I have imagined the many adventures God would take me on throughout my life. God answered my young—and young-in-Christ—heart’s request one Sunday. I listened to a missionary speak about the incredible things God had done in his mission in Africa that sounded like a tale from an adventure fiction book, but these stories were real. “God, if such stories are real, why can’t I experience You in my life?” At least my prayer was something like that. He certainly answered it. I wasn’t ready for what was yet to come. He prepared me along the way for each leg of my adventure with Him.
Some of the adventures God takes us on have nothing directly to do with what He calls us to do for Him; instead, these equip us for the road ahead—or the skies above. He often reveals Himself to us in a more intimately that we may stay firmly rooted and grounded in Christ (Ephesians 3:17-21). He desires our interaction and our loving faithfulness. These experiences are the only way we can be effective in any form of ministry. Job learned about this after enduring terrible calamity in his life. God didn’t give Job the trouble but allowed it with limits, for a greater, closer connection with him. You can read this in Job 42. When we face stifling trials, we can rely on what we’ve learned from God in the context of a close relationship, not just what we’ve read about God. Experience with God, when understood through the lens of Scripture, draws us closer to Him as He turns our troubles into something beautiful (John 15:4). Spiritual growth happens in a dynamic relationship with God.
What about you? Okay, so your adventures may not take to the skies but you still are on an adventure with God. How has God revealed Himself to you through your life adventures? What is He doing that helps keep you rooted and grounded in Him? Feel free to share your brief story in the comments below.
May God bless you!