We are well into the New Year now, a whole two weeks at the time of this writing. For some it is a time of new resolution as they face the New Year, for me it is a time of reflection.
As I sit here in our warm, snug house on this extremely cold, extremely snowy day I am reflecting on the past year, its happenings, both wanted and unwanted. There have been some very good things happen in my life and some not so good things. It was a year of celebration with friends and family, it was a year that marked 50 years of marriage to my special lady. It was a year of celebrating the little things of life also, such as a beautiful flower bed, with each group of flowers coming to bloom at different times throughout the year. It was a time for enjoying the wondrous color of the fall leaves and now the stark whiteness of the fresh fallen snow.
Of course there were the not so pleasant parts of this past year also to be remembered. Personal health issues in our family cropped up more than in the past, perhaps part of the aging process. I also had a number of friends who have left this world to be in a better place, it was our loss, but their gain
As I was reflecting, I also remembered a movie that came out in 1985, which has always been one of my favorites, called “Remo Williams, the adventure begins”. It was an action adventure/spoof movie, about a man whose death was faked and he was given a new identity. He was trained as a secret agent and had some “death defying,” experiences.
Yet, with all that the movie had going for it, the one thing that has stood out through the years is the tagline at the end of the movie as the picture faded out. The line projected on the screen said simply, “The Adventure Continues!”
You see, that line, as well as my understanding of scripture has helped mold my view towards life. The word “Adventure,” is defined by Webster as, “an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks”. That describes life doesn’t it?
I understand that most people would rather not have any adventure. Like Bilbo Baggins from the Hobbit books who proclaimed that “No one here wants any adventure, if you’re looking for someone who wants an adventure you need to look somewhere else.” He proclaimed that he much preferred his easy chair, a warm fire and his books.
I’m reminded of an incident found in Act 16:9-10 where it’s recorded: “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” I re-read this and wonder what my vision is, and perhaps you might ask the same question, “what is your vision,” for the future.
The thing about Bilbo is that he eventually chose to go on the adventure and his life was changed forever. He faced dangers and death, but did things, experienced things that you can never experience through books.
So, what is your New Year looking like? Are you ready for a little adventure? Where will you go? What will you do? What commitments will you make that will change you forever? Because you see, the adventure continues, if we open our lives to it.
