Words, Crazy Words
A Sweet mix of the secular and sacred
A Word on Wednesday: Adventure
Having a spirit of adventure is one thing. Having the faith, courage, and confidence to act on that spirit is another. Lucky are those who have an adventure partner to share the journey. Luckier still, are those who have the same adventure partner for journey after journey.
As a noun, adventure is participation in an exciting undertaking or enterprise. It is an exciting or very unusual experience. As a verb, adventure is to risk or hazard; to take a chance of; dare.
When we think of adventure, we don’t necessarily consider it as a risky behavior. Especially, those who seek adventure when they are young. We seek fun: joy of discovery, pleasure of fine things, and thrills of exhilaration.
However, the meaning of adventure — derived from Old French aventurer and from Latin adventura — was directly developed through risk and danger (a trial of one’s chances). The meaning later developed from “perilous undertaking.”
When we risk, when we adventure, what are we hoping to gain?
We seek sites of awe. We seek a glimpse of humanity displayed in an array of culture different from our own. We seek strength as we stretch beyond our comfort zones. We seek a break from routine. We seek a place to rest. We seek an interruption to complacency with the mundane of daily life. We seek meaning.
In the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, we learn of the perils of his adventure. In Chapter 11, verse 26, he writes: “I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea.” Yet, Paul later boasts of the reward of visions and revelations of the Lord he received on his journey.
We all adventure to acquire. We gain perspective. That is why we take the risk. At minimum, souvenirs and stories and snapshots are amassed. Ideally, as we gain exposure to novel experiences, we learn peace through love and tolerance. We are unable to remain stagnant when we dare to adventure. There is growth as we witness new horizons and accomplish daring feats.
To you, today, I ask you to rejoice in all there is to be gained by adventuring. Perhaps the more roads you travel the more you will see they all lead to the Lord, our steadfast adventure partner.
WiscoPoet
Words, Crazy Words 