As we all know when a child starts school, he or she doesn’t know for sure what to expect, how well he or she will do, or where it will all lead. He or she just makes a start and then works his or her way through it, one day, one week, one year at a time. Getting an education is an adventure. When a young person chooses a vocation, he or she does not know for sure what the outcome will be. Can he or she do the work? Will he or she enjoy it? Will he or she be able to earn a good living? Will it be permanent? None of those questions can be thought through in advance. They must be lived through, and the answers must be worked out. Choosing a vocation is an adventure.
When a man or woman gets married, they have no guarantee of a good relationship and a happy home. Hopefully, they will give it their best thought in advance, and will seek the best counseling available. But eventually, they have to make a beginning, they need to make the first step and see for themselves where the road will lead. Getting married is an adventure. Then at some point, they may find themselves expecting a child and more questions will arise. Will it be a girl or a boy? Will it be born healthy? Will they be able to handle the challenges of parenthood? What will the child become? Will he or she be a source of happiness or of heartbreak? No one is wise enough to answer those questions in advance. They must be lived through and worked out. Having a child is an adventure.
All of those things are thrilling and yet demanding, frightening and yet appealing. Life at its best is also an adventure. So it is with being a follower of Jesus. We can think about it and we can read about it. We can listen to the testimonies of others and study the lives of the saints. But eventually we have to start out and see where Jesus will lead us. Is it really true that we find life by losing it? Will the Golden Rule work in a world such as ours? Is it possible to love all people, even our enemies? Will God provide for our needs even as He feeds the birds of the air and clothes the flowers of the field?
No one can prove those things to us in advance. The answers can be learned only through day-to-day living. Sometimes we present our Christian faith as if it were nothing more than the passive acceptance of a formal creed. But it is so much more than that. Jesus invites us to join Him in a way of life that takes courage to begin and fortitude to continue. Being a true follower of Jesus is a challenge. It must be a great adventure. For anyone who dares to try it, one day, one week, one year at a time, it will become a power that will transform our lives and eventually it will transform our world.