Why Not Try?

In the summer of 2022, actually the Fourth of July weekend, my family and I had the opportunity to try new things. Sometimes this can be a very intimidating thing to do, and other times it is exactly what the soul needs. This trip did not disappoint, and even though it didn’t turn out like I had expected, it still was a great time for the family.

The trip started out with our family splitting up and riding in different vehicles. This was not exactly what we wanted to do because often times our family grows closer together in the many hours spent behind the wheel. But during this weekend we had no choice. Our family van was in the shop with engine failure, and our family of seven just couldn’t fit in the Gladiator. So we split up some of our children into our friends cars, and all went on our way. This was the first unexpected event. Not bad, but definitely different. New things, right?

The great news is we all made it there safe. We then started the unpacking process. And with a family of seven, this is an actual process. The process normally starts during the packing of the stuff. I am sometimes, well not sometimes. I am ALWAYS an over packer. I would rather have more than I need in an event that I am far away from my stuff, than to have less than what I need. So I always pack more. This was not always a big deal when I was just packing for myself, but now that I pack or help pack for seven, we WAY overpack every time. So we get there to our large cabin that we will be sharing with the other twelve families that are there, and I start to bring in the twenty bags that I have filled to the brim. I am not alone though. My children and wife are there to help carry and unpack, and get us all ready to go. It wasn’t that bad at all. Another part of the adventure you could say.

The weekend is going great and nothing out of the ordinary is happening. We get to the last day we are there. This is going to be the climax of the whole trip. This day is going to consist of a great big breakfast, a message from our pastor, and then a float trip. My family though, through the many adventures we have been on, has never been on a float trip. So this is going to be a first for us. Before we were about to leave to get our rafts and canoes I started to feel anxious about the trip. What if the kids don’t like it? What if it brings us further apart rather than together? What if I am not able to help them all when they need my help? Each one of these things and more were running through my head. It was not a great start to the trip.

This though seems like a theme in my life. Whenever I am about to have a breakthrough or move in a direction of something great, I have these thoughts of sabotage or thoughts of uncertainty come upon me. It is like I desire the adventure, but at the same time I am fearful of it. It is almost there is this battle that is waging in my mind. A battle that can sometimes keep me from reaching the goals and ambitions that I have. Sometimes it keeps me from making friends and finding true depth and meaning in relationships. Often it keeps me from reaching my full potential. Well this time, I was able to work through those thoughts, and am thankful that I was able to. Because now that I am on the other side of the journey, I have seen the power of trying new things and pushing through fear. I have seen what it can do for myself AND for my family. So here are the highlights.

My oldest son grew closer to his friends and felt like he mattered. Sometimes he has an identity issue, and feels left out of his friend groups. Not this weekend. He got to ride on a raft with his friends rather than his family and they were able to grow closer together through silly kid antics. They would pick on the girls or use water blasters on the parents. They would make jokes about other floaters and laughed the day away. He was a part of a group of kids that morally are sound. It was awesome to see.

My youngest son got to hang out with the big kids. He is often too smart of mature for kids his age (most of the time), and during this float he was able to hang out with some of the older kids. He felt like “one of the guys”, and got to show his worth. Still to this day the older kids allow him to be a part of their gang, and it is helping in his confidence and allowing him to become the young man he wants to become.

The most exciting part was my oldest daughter’s adventure. This is the little gal who is one of the strongest kids I have ever met. She is small in stature, but a firecracker. She has a really big personality, and is always ready to lead and adventure. She thought, over the last couple of years, has fallen into this fearful state. She even got to the point that she would not go outside because she was afraid she was going to get stung by a bee. Though there wouldn’t be a bee there, she would still not go outside, just in case. So because of this it would cripple her and not allow her to live the life she was created to live. This float trip saw her move out of that fearful state and into one that she will probably never forget.

We really wanted her to be with us so that we could keep an eye on her and make sure that she was safe. We wanted to not let her get stung and then be afraid of the world around her any longer. Yet God had a better plan. Instead of being with us and our full canoe, she was able to ride in the middle of a double kayak that one of our favorite couples were maneuvering. This couple had much float experience, and were ready for the challenge. They would park their canoe at head of a current, one of them would swim to the end of it, and the other would let my daughter float down to the other. She thought this was the COOLEST thing ever, and would do this over and over and over. So much fun for her.

The climax of this trip and trying new things came when she decided that she wanted to jump off of this large tree that had fallen over the river. It was pretty far off the top of the river, and my wife would have had a fit if she knew that I let her go. But I did. The problem was that I didn’t go with her. I wish I would have. I wish I would have not made the excuse about swimming out with her. But luckily our friend did. He swam out with her, helped her up the log, and then even held her hand while they jumped. She did amazing. She faced her fears, and she moved forward with these new experiences. It was so much fun to watch. I just wish that I would have not chickened out, and gone with her.

Here are the things I learned though. The first is that expectations can often times limit us and what we can experience while adventuring. It can cause us to not experience the fullness of the trip, and keep us angry that it is not turning out the way that we wanted. So leave room for openness. Leave room for things to change and move and be malleable.

The second thing that I learned is that it takes a community to raise your family. That day on the float trip was not my day, but because we have great friends, my daughter didn’t have to miss out. He was able to help my daughter grow and gain strength this day. I am so thankful for them, and how they really invested in my daughter.

And the third and last thing that I learned was that I need to give myself some grace. To this day I still look back and get mad at myself for not going out and jumping with her. But I can’t dwell on that. I can’t dwell on the past and the things that I didn’t do like I should have. Instead I need to keep moving forward. I need to learn from those mistakes, and try to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I need to make sure that I am ready and prepared to adventure both for myself and for my family.

So let me leave you with this. Remember that adventure can come at any moment. It can be a prepared experience or an unexpected adventure. So be ready. Start preparing now for the adventure that may pop up when you least expect it. Leave room in your schedule and in your expectations of life for these adventures to help mold you and change you. Allow for God to move freely amongst you, and prepare for the great things that can happen.

So until next time, remember to live out the love of Christ and to Adventure as often as you can.