identity exercise: adventurer

 This idea of me being an adventurer is laughable in a way.  It is seriously only because of God that I could be viewed as an adventurer.  When I was young, I was afraid of everything.  I couldn't bear new foods, unfamiliar situations, or new things.  Even when I got married, I was terrified of learning to drive in a new place and getting to know new people.

It started with living far from family.  Brant often didn't want to take time off to drive that far to visit family, and he always wanted to safe his time off for hunting.  Especially once the kids arrived, I made the decision to travel alone, because I wanted the kids to know their extended family.  Then along came missions.  I had always given towards missions, but moving to Nigeria for two years was way out of my comfort zone.  I did it because God called us to it and it was a step of obedience.  Since we came home, I've continued to travel for short-term missions trips all over the world.  I guess I've found the "adventurer" moniker amusing because it seems like "obedient" is the better word. If it wasn't for God calling, I'd never have gone anywhere.

I think what has made me an adventurer is mainly the fact that I believe God is with me all the time.  It's not that I think nothing bad could ever happen to me, but I know that God will never abandon me so I feel confident that I am safe no matter what happens.