I am excited to share my little piece of the Interwebs today with Pablo Ellsworth. Pablo is a blogger, speaker, and teacher. His mission is to draw close to the heart of Daddy-God by living out the God’s adventure for his life. Through writing, speaking, and loving, Pablo strives to mentor others to seek the Father of Adventure. You can check out his BLOG and you can connect with him on Twitter HERE. You can even email him directly with any comments or questions at Pablo.ellsworth@gmail.com.
I can see it so clearly. I am holding on for my life on the back of a wild-bucking-off-road vehicle and some insane Spanish speaker is behind the wheel. The Panamanian wind is smacking my face. I feel alive!
My friend Ezra and I bust out with Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Great Adventure” again as we are flailing behind a truck, crossing mountains and rivers. I am 19, and I am on a mission to the jungle. I am living the dream.
A week later…
I am in the jungle. My missionary team and I are hungry and tired of eating potatoes and rice. The Tony Chechere that my parents mailed to me has been good, but my gringo palette goes unsatisfied. My feet have a fungus that Ezra and I have deemed as “jungle foot.” Another 4 to 6 hour hike soon awaits us. I pray, “God, please, can I go home early? I am hungry and tired.”
A year later….
I am alone in a dorm room in college. I turned out the lights and I am on my knees crying. I am so miserable….. I miss the jungle.
——————————-
What you just read is a true story. If you ask me when one of the best times of my life was, I would reply “Doing missions in the jungles of Panama.” If you asked me when one of the hardest time of my life was, I would reply “Doing missions in the jungles of Panama.”
I had the dream of being a missionary. The jungle was my dream. When I got there it was terrible. When I left, I missed it. What is wrong with me?
Every adventure has to have danger. If it is not dangerous, it is not an adventure. Every adventure has its hard times. Yet, in the hard times, I usually pray to get out! Could I be missing part of my adventure by just praying for it to be over?
Remember the hardest times are sometimes the best of times. This is not a call to sit still and wait in the hardship. Push through it!! However, remember that even the rough spots can be part of God’s amazing adventure for you. You have all the permission in the world to remind me to do the same!
What in your life might be part of your adventure in disguise?
The most difficult times keep us on our knees: they keep us looking up. Difficult times test the mettle and prepare us for something bigger that God has planned. They are opportunities for God to prove himself to us.
Good point….and in the end He always proves himself in an awesome word: Faithful.
“If it is not dangerous, it is not an adventure.” — truth!!
how easily we fail to realize that to do great things we must push past ordinary and comfortable toward extraordinary and uncomfortable. in the uncomfortable moments of life are where we find out who we truly are.
awesome post!
Tim, you picked my favorite line in this post. Ordinary is boring, and doesn’t test our faith or stretch us. It’s only in adventure we find what God is truly about, and begin to walk into our calling.
I’ll take danger over ordinary any day. At least then, I will know that I am alive. We are all in good hands with God. He is trustworthy even if it stretches our faith!
I think we take many things in life for granted. It’s hard to know what you will miss or reflect back on as “the good old days” while they are happening. So live life to the fullest and try to live in a way where you will have no regrets. Probably impossible to have zero regrets in life but as long as you consciously think about it, I’m sure you’ll be ok. Great post Pablo!
It’s true, I feel the most fully alive when I’m going through something arduous, it’s like training for your spirit, mind and body. Some of the really painful times taught me to press into God, but it seems to be a lesson i have to keep learning. Love your take on adventure!