Embrace the Adventure

 
I used to get really mad when I was lost while driving. My poor wife has had to suffer through several of my ‘which way do I go’ meltdowns. I really hate the feelings of fear and confusion that wash over me when I don’t know where I am and which direction I should be going in. But I have found a way to defeat these feelings. I try to replace them by filling up my head with the idea that I am on an adventure. Instead of cursing myself and the world, I try and think about how I’ve never been to this place before and the houses are really interesting and maybe we’ll stumble onto a new and wonderful place that we may want to return to again and again. Strangely enough this strategy has worked. I am much calmer when we are wandering around. We are not lost, we are experiencing an adventure. The thing is, by their very nature, adventures can be very stressful.

The story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37-50 is one huge adventure. It is such a compelling story it was made into a Broadway show and Movie. I call the Joseph story an adventure because it has all of the classic elements of one. It has heroes and villains. It features the suffering and possible death of the innocent. It has God coming to the rescue of our troubled hero just in the nick of time. The guilty are brought to justice and then forgiven. It all ends in a wonderfully happy ending. Who could ask for more?

The story of Joseph shows us that God is in the adventure business. Just like Joseph we are often challenged with difficult situations in which there doesn’t seem to be any way out. And just like Joseph when all seems lost, God comes into our life and pulls a happy ending out of nowhere. That is because God is in the happy ending business as well. God always wants what is best for us. Sometimes that means trouble. But if you have faith, it always results in a happy ending.

So the next time you feel like you are lost, just embrace the adventure.
 
Peace,
Pastor Bill