R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure."
Helen Keller

Every day when you get up, do you think about your life as a daring adventure? Maybe we should. Maybe that would get us out of our rut of mediocre fearful living. I've been trying to think about how to really envision my life as an adventure. All of us who have gone through a midlife divorce have been in the middle of something. Do we call it a catastrophe? Or a devastation? Or a storm (like me). But maybe if we change how we look at and talk about life, we will change our response to the experiences of it. And when we realize that life is the ultimate insecurity, we will begin to view our tough experiences as challenges and not something to fear or dread. Setting out on adventure means that we look at obstacles and dangers as something to be overcome, not something to bring us down or defeat us. Children seem to do this better than adults. Ethan, our grandson spent the night with us last night. He is optimism personified. He laughs A LOT. He loves riddles and jokes. He is sensitive. He loves to listen to and tell stories. He is being tested for the gifted program at his school. He is in kindergarten. He is completely open to life. And he happens to have cerebal palsy. Ethan encourages me to see life as an daring, exciting, fun adventure. If he can do it, so can I. Life is the ultimate insecurity. God is the ultimate security. With him, the victory is already assured. So lets quit being wusses and get started on our own adventure.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7