5 Ways to Ignite the Spirit of Adventure in Your Everyday Life
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- Updated Oct 04, 2023
I grew up in a suburban neighborhood that borders a small strip of woods a few miles long. My three best friends lived right down the road, and in our elementary years, almost every day was spent together. We played sports, watched movies, and our favorite activity was exploring.
Exploration led us to many exciting adventures. One summer, every day, we lugged lumbar and tools and built a rickety shed deep in the woods. Another summer, we spent every day going deeper into that strip of woods. Being a pack of elementary kids, we encouraged and challenged each other to go deeper and deeper. Together we were brave.
On an especially exciting day, we decided we would go the whole way. After hours of walking, we finally made it to what we thought was the epicenter of the woods. The trees and foliage thickened and seemed a bit more “wild.” We found ourselves feeling enamored and a bit scared of what we found at the heart of these wild woods.
What we discovered was a massive area enclosed by a towering, menacing barbed wire fence that stretched all the way to the left and all the way to the right, sprinkled with daring “KEEP OUT” signs. All we could see inside the area were more trees and a few circular concrete pools. Our imaginations raced with hypotheses: Was it an alien testing site? Perhaps it’s where they made super secret toys. Were there mutated frogs in those pools? With the encroaching twilight, we hiked back, conjuring scene after scene after what was going in there.
Years passed without ever knowing what lay inside this mysterious wooden danger zone, until one day, when I was driving a back road to my neighborhood I rarely used, I noticed something in the woods to the left. Was that the same fence? Yes, it sure was, and wow, there are those circular concrete ponds. My childhood flooded my memory, bringing its nostalgic comfort, as the answer finally came.
It was a water treatment facility. Huh, that’s it.
That’s the farthest back I can remember when I had my first conflict between expectations and reality. That one moment exhumed a spirit of adventure instantly doused with reality.
Our Expectations Versus Our Reality
Adventure is in all of us. Some can tap into it more than others. Some have buried it deep down inside. Some miss it. Some try to only live it. Adventure, fun, wanderlust, whatever you want to call it, is innate in us humans. If it wasn’t, then we wouldn’t see it calling out to us everywhere. Movies, shows, video games, and books all take us on rides and keep us coming back for more. Think of the most popular releases in those categories. They all deliver wonderfully on the cathartic and vicarious experience that we all actually crave.
Stories are filled with whimsical romance that take us on the emotionally appealing rollercoaster of love, and they leave us wishing we could be the one in the story. Action and fantasy movies alike fill our eyes and minds with such realistic graphics depicting character-defining missions of courage in outer space or on the ocean blue. Video games, where we actually make the decisions and control characters, are immensely alluring and leave us feeling especially connected to the character we’ve built.
Social media paints a picture of joy and adventure, just out of our own reach. In one post, we see another exiting a wooden bungalow set amongst perfectly blue water to swim with their own dolphin; in the next, they are driving a stylish Jeep Wrangler Rubicon through a rainforest to spend a night in a private tree house where toucans bring them fresh melon.
Then, the movie ends, and the lights come on. You finish the book. The game is over. You’re too jealous of the Instagram post, so you put down your phone. Reality comes back like a rushing wind to remind you that you are not the main character in the story. You’re not even in the story. You’re not living anything close to the story.
Postmodernism tries to stall this reality check. We are in an era of giving into our desires and truly wandering off The Path. Postmodernism says, do what you want, do you, give in to the hedonistic lifestyle, and live free. The world has been inundated with self-help books that focus on you. You are the answer. You can do it. You come first. This is one reason we have failing marriages; spouses want that thrill, that adventure, and instead of working to rekindle that feeling, they take the easy way out and into another’s arms.
The problem is all of this: movies, books, games, and social media. They all skew our expectations. Media has numerous time jumps that leave out the material that we would connect with. Superhero movies are entertaining, but when they skip from the war room final plan discussion to the final battle, they leave out the 24-hour plane ride it takes to get there, in which they forgot to pack enough food, get a little cranky, Captain America eats all the protein bars and gets a little gassy.
The Instagram post of someone riding free in the new Wrangler doesn’t include anything about the massive debt they got in just to obtain the thing and the many, many mosquito bites they suffered staying in the rainforest treetop chalet. It’s not that life is terribly mundane and boring. On the contrary, life is full of amazing daily experiences, but our reference has been skewed and needs a bit of calibration.
Remember, we are made in God’s image, and if we have this innate sense of adventure, it’s not an accident. It represents a trait of our God. He likes adventure, fun, miracles, and cool stories. The following tips and reminders can help us recalibrate our expectations so they are not always fully disrupted by life.
Here are some ways we can find wonder in our everyday Christ-led lives:
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Doucefleur
1. Find wonder in the mundane, because it’s not mundane.
The world does everything it can to jade us, douse our flame, and temper our enthusiasm. We must do what’s necessary to prevent this and actually “fan the flame the gift of God” 2 Timothy 1.6.
Rise of the Guardians is a 2012 hero movie for kids that follows the Guardians, a group of protectors of children that must fight the boogeyman. One guardian named North, a Santa Claus figure, is big, muscular, and intimidating. His big personality is complemented by a child-like approach to the world. In one scene, he tries to counsel a new guardian and says, he has “Big Eyes! Very big! Because they are full of wonder!”
Whatever it means for you, keep your eyes open. Keep them wide open, so you can take in the wonder that is probably right in front of you. Our world is pretty cool, and it’s ok to be enthusiastic about it. Be like a child experiencing it; ask questions, investigate, play, laugh, cry.
2. Try something new.
If you need to jump-start the wonder machine in your heart, do something purposefully adventurous. Go to a place you’ve never been. Try something you never have. Eat something new. Learn a new skill. Rejuvenate dormant passions. Anything adventurous will fill you with wonder, but remember, it doesn’t have to be a big, grand, or expensive endeavor.
Set small goals, obtainable ones, like talking to a stranger every day for one month. At least once a week, pray with someone. Play a game your kids choose or come up with. Follow your toddler around the house and do everything they do (it’s an exhausting exercise); your children are little adventure machines themselves!
You have a flame in you that is fueled by wonder and adventure. Don’t let it get snuffed out. Find the adventure in your life that is already present. Your marriage, your parenting, and your work, is an adventure.
3. Limit the impostors.
This is a tough one. As mentioned, books, games, movies, and shows all scratch the adventure itch. The more we consume these mediums, the more we shift our sensitivity for adventure. If you constantly watch fantasy movies about dragon riders, then, of course, driving a car doesn’t seem as cool. If we watch movies that idolize a free-spirited lifestyle, then yes, our marriage can seem less fulfilling.
There is an amount of media consumption that lets us unwind and be entertained, and then there’s an amount of media consumption that crosses into paradigm-shifting levels. Be careful how much you watch and how much you let your children watch. Plus, your brain needs rest. It does not need a constant feed of entertainment. Let yourself be in silence sometimes and see what thoughts and questions percolate. Yes, this is scary. We don’t like silence, but that’s the only way you can hear God.
4. Stop fueling the engine.
Humans have developed some amazing things. However, social media is one of the worst. Stop using it or at least limit your use for two main reasons. One, your posts may inadvertently be fueling others' depression by comparison. They see your posts that subconsciously have a hint of humble brag. Two, you won’t see all other posts that may skew your understanding of what adventure really is.
5. It’s not our story anyways.
While we are the focus of God’s love, we must remember that this Earth was not created so we can all be the center of attention. This masterfully written story is about Him reconciling with His lost children. Those of us that accept His son’s sacrifice aren’t thrust onto center stage. We now get to join our dad on His great mission. When we live lives with a Heaven-centered view, all we do is unto the Lord. Suddenly, nurturing our families, cooking dinner, and serving in our job come with a Kingdom purpose! The adventure of living as strangers in this world, serving God, and pointing all that we love back to him is unending and a part of everything we do.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/vchal
