If life is an adventure, then I am an adventurer. There is so much to explore and experience. If I have the opportunity to climb the next mountain or explore the valley over the ridge, I will go for it. That spirit has led to many unique sights and sounds. Heightened senses are needed when walking through the wilderness. A person never knows what will be around the next corner or over the next rise. You listen, watch, and smell. The hair on the back of your neck starts to rise. What is that?
A deer, a fox, an elk, or a bear could be ahead. No, this is manmade. Sun bleached logs of an old cabin protect a fallen roof. The window frames the scenery but has no glass. The door faced the morning sun. No longer does it keep the wind out because it’s lying on what used to be the floor.
People lived here years ago. I wonder what their story was. A abandoned mine was on the hillside about a mile away. The cabin was home for someone. Was it a family? Or maybe a prospector lived here while working his claim. It could have been a couple of men, partners in a mining company. History stands before me in the ruins of the cabin. I will probably never know the details but it makes me wonder and dream of what used to be.
I move to the trees nearby. Shadows loom as I enter the dense forest. Suddenly a deer jumps from some brush. I don’t know who is more startled, him or me. It takes a moment to regain my composure. Those heightened senses sure do react in amazing ways. I watch the deer bound away. He’s gone. I look ahead. What’s over that next rise? Is that a stream I hear? I press on… Yes, I would say I am an adventurer… I feel the urge to find out what’s over the next hill.
The same feeling is true in our walk with God. This is a new day He has given. What is ahead? It could be great joy. It could be something we will suffer. There are many things we experience in every day. What is ahead? I don’t know but I’m going to find out. “You and me, God – Let’s go.
Monte Leavell 