"Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness, is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man." -John Eldrege, Wild At Heart
What moves me? I come upon a motivational fork in the road before many outings. One way safe and easy, the other holds risk, energy expense and possible let down. My tendency is towards "maybe another day, wait 'till conditions are more ideal." Precautions and timing are one thing but I easily use them as a cop out and get lost in my own world of introspection, worry, & overthinking.
I've found great inspiration from the classic nature writers -Thoreau, Emerson, John Muir, Sigurd Olson and read them and many others often.
But without the answers to life I've found from the Judeo-Christian outlook on life, I think my motivation for adventure would peter out.
In this worldview I am brought into a connection with the Grand Designer AND I am invited and encouraged to explore the fingerprint of this great Artist.
I have the okay, the green light, the thumbs up to explore, care for, study & engage in this grand design. More than this, it is not just a grudging "permission granted" but it is near the heart of what I am designed for. Part of the original scene of what God called "Good"!
"The secret longing of your heart, whether it's to build a boat & sail it, to write a symphony and play it, to plant a field and care for it -those are the things you are made to do." - John Eldredge
THE BLUEPRINT
In cutting through the confusion of our information overload world of competing outlooks on life, I find great clarity when I revisit the original scene (whether you believe that this is the original scene is another subject. I'll say for now that I have come to confidence in this worldview from my own wandering path of doubts & questions).
In this scene God places the first man & woman in a world where their interaction was essential. They were in their proper place & honoring God as they took care of & worked the natural world; naming the animals, getting to know & loving each other. Tending the garden.
In the midst of this scene they "walked & talked" with God, i.e. they were in open communication with an Ultimate Reality that is personal & relatable. This was their point of reference for all things.
This is the original model of spiritualty. Adam & Eve did not have to remove themselves from ordinary life to be spiritual.
"Adam was not more spiritual when praying & less spiritual when gardening or enjoying time with Eve. All his experience was designed by God. All of it was also God's delight. All of it was spiritual. We glorify God when we are most ordinary, when we are creative, when we find ways around practical problems, when we revel in the delights of nature around us." -Ranald MaCaulay, Being Human
RECONNECTION
A great separation enters the scene. You can't have the beauty of this Life View -especially the Christian side to this Judeo-Christian partnership- without understanding this disconnect from the Creator & the solution that is meant to restore us to the heart of the original scene.
Through the restoring work of the Messiah, the Redeemer, walking & talking with God while doing life becomes possible again.
To not have this reconnection to the Creator, is to miss the starting point in a domino flow of connective meaning that is meant to touch & inspire all of life.
SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF WHAT I LOVE
Much inspirational writing is an attempt to make a part of life into the whole; something in creation, or my efforts -breathing techniques, "mindfulness", "grounding", "forest bathing" (my new favorite), cold water therapy, exercise, etc -set forth as an exclusive focus. Good things -stuff I enjoy- that we are designed to be about, as pointed out, but not enough as the center -defining quality of my life.
In the Christian worldview my prime integration point comes from that dynamic reconnection with the Creator. My efforts & achievements are more meaningful than ever, yet are no longer expected to be my ultimate satisfaction, the total measurement of my worth, the foundation for my peace & mental health.
I stop choking the life out of what I love (or who I love) by expecting more meaning & soul satisfaction from them than they are able to deliver.
Psychologically, emotionally the desperation is taken out of each endeavor, exploration, adventure or relationship, & my enjoyment deepens!
CARPE DIEM!
In this overall frame of mind, I find affirmation for life & inspiration for living like none other. It is Carpe Diem, Eudaimonia (my son's tattoo -worth looking up), Life Is Good, Think Positive, Find Joy, Live Boldly, & other encouraging mantras, no longer pulled out of a silent universe, "Out of The Blue" -blindly believed.
It is a glass -more than half full mentality, at last anchored to a meaningful foundation, an overarching optimism.
"God planned us to be creatures of this planet, that was His intention. If I love rushing around the lawn with bare feet, or going to the seaside, or throwing myself into music, and think, 'I mustn't do this, this isn't very spiritual,' then Im negating who God made me to be, & its a slap in His face, because He wanted me to enjoy the seaside & music..."
-Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, What In The World Is Real?
Now into my sixth decade
of life, I cannot portray myself to be a great role model in living out what I say I believe because I fail...often.
I easily bounce between apathy on one side & over obsessing on the other. Too often I leave out the central "walking & talking" with God part.
But to the extent that I have taken this Blue Print to heart -retaking the hand of the Creator & connecting the dots from there, I have found myself reinspired, reset. Less inner focused. I regain the big picture & find wonder & curiosity -the mojo for all adventures, restored.
Photo by Aaron Thompson
"I believe God made me for a purpose. He also made me fast, and when I run [kayak, hike, bike, swim, climb, ski, etc] I feel His pleasure" Eric Liddell, olympic runner (Chariots Of Fire)
"I Free To Live"
Can't help but add these inspiring words that have helped me "connect the dots". From favorite author Susan Macaulay, offered here as a kind of appendix:
"I feel free to live. Do you get a glimmer of how exciting all this is? If Christianity is true then we have the basis for appreciating first ourselves and then other people. We can see how worthwhile it is to fulfill our potential. For one person this may mean writing plays or directing films. Someone else draws and paints. Everything we do can have value: cooking a meal for a family group to enjoy, or making a beautiful garden out of a grubby backyard.
If God is there, it is a relief to be able to talk to the one who loves and knows us completely. Furthermore, the Bible is a lifelong Lifeline to grow in the understanding of God's truth. But it is also an important part of life to enjoy a sunset on a beach.
Understanding who I am means that I can throw myself into the fullness of life. I can come out of the waves to relish in a picnic supper, cooked over a beach bonfire. I dont have to feel I'm wasting my time when I pour hours into learning to play the piano or into writing songs. I delight in as full a life as possible. The life of a human created by God is full of exciting facets.
Susan Macaulay, How To Be Your Own Selfish Pig