Saddle up your horses, we’ve got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace
Let’s follow our Leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other…this is the great adventure
I remember listening to those words back in the 1990s. They’re from the song The Great Adventure by Steven Curtis Chapman. As a fairly new single parent at the time, I wouldn't have used the word “adventure” to describe my life. Spending too much time working and not enough time at my kids’ baseball games, the days—and years—went by in a blur.
Even so, there were things to be thankful for. My kids were awesome. I had a good church family and some really good friends, and my mom and dad were never more than a phone call away.
But in my heart, I knew there was more.
True, my church was great. We believed in the gifts of the Spirit and in the power of God. But as I sat there one day, I couldn’t help thinking, Is this really all there is to this Christian life? Where are the signs, wonders, and miracles that I read about all through the Bible? If God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, why are we not doing what those New Testament believers did?
If you had asked me at that time, I would have told you that I was a disciple of Jesus Christ. But back in Jesus’ day, it was understood that disciples were supposed to be able to do what their rabbi did. So, if I was truly a disciple, why was my life void of the obvious supernatural life of the God who lived inside me? Why was my life so...natural?
From that moment, I began a quest—which is still ongoing—prompted by a holy dissatisfaction with the status quo. To date, my quest has involved two relocations to different areas of the country, new church families, a career change, and three years at Charis Bible College. I’m following my Leader into the great unknown. I may not know where I’m going, but I know He does.
I am reminded of something one of the instructors is fond of saying: “There’s something about life that’s so daily.”
The bottom line? I think Steven Curtis Chapman says it best:
So, come on, get ready for the ride of your life
Gonna leave long-faced religion in a cloud of dust behind
And discover all the new horizons waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for
By Sylvia F. Wells
