My girls
love the movie “The Princess Bride”. If
you have never seen it, you could come to my house and watch it, or you could
just have my wife and daughters repeat every line for you (seriously, they have
most of the movie memorized). Though it
was made in 1987, the movie is still very popular because it combines comedy,
romance and, maybe most importantly, adventure.
The two
main characters are each on their own quest.
The hero, Westley, is trying to save his true love, while his partner,
Inigo, is trying to avenge the death of his father. (You may have heard people quoting his famous
line, “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die”). This mission consumes Inigo’s life. It is all he can think about. He is consumed with the thought that he has a
job to do and that his life will not be complete until it is accomplished.
While I am
not advocating “revenge” as a motive in our lives (in fact, the Bible speaks
directly against that), I do believe that there is something in us that longs
for a “mission”. We are attracted to
stories of adventure because, somewhere inside of us, we want to be part of
something bigger than ourselves. That is
what made the “Indiana Jones” movies so popular. That also explains why we watch television
shows about explorers in the jungle or about people climbing Mount
Everest. Our lives need a mission and a
purpose that is bigger than simple survival.
In the
Bible, that mission comes in the form of a “calling”. At various times, in various places and in
various ways, God taps people on the shoulder and invites them to become part
of his plan and his mission. For
example, “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your
father’s household and go to the land I will show you’” (Genesis 12:1). That is the start of Abraham’s
adventure. It involved risk, trust, hope
and reward. In other words, it had
everything that a good adventure requires.
God had a plan for Abraham. He
sent him on a quest and because Abraham listened and went God did great things through
him.
These days,
unfortunately, faith is talked about in muted tones. Most people see a life of faith as being sort
of boring and uneventful. However, it
should not be that way. God is still calling
us to be part of what he is doing in our world.
He is calling us to make a difference.
He is calling us to live our lives for something bigger and greater than
ourselves.
The
adventure awaits.
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