The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

When I was a kid, my favorite books were the Choose Your Own Adventure series. These books usually told some sort of adventure story about time travel, monsters, knights, detectives, or some other exciting tale. Every few pages, when the main character reached a major decision, you would make the choice for them. Based on the path you decided, the story to take you would jump to a different page and continue on. I loved these books because I got to steer the story. One of the habits I developed was keeping a finger on the page where I made a decision so that I could see how it turned out before committing to the storyline. Sometimes, I would have my fingers stuck in two or three different pages so that I could backtrack farther if the story went the wrong way. As an adult, I no longer read “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, though I would if they wrote them for middle-aged men! Now, I am forced into a world where I have to actually choose my own adventure in life. I chose a college. I chose a major. I chose not to study. I chose a wife and jobs and a career, all of which brought me to the place I am in life. Only now, I cannot go back if I make a bad choice. I can try to forge a new path in life, but I cannot go back. Based on this strange kids literature niche, I have been watching people and considering how they are choosing their own adventure in life.

In my own life, I continue to try to keep my finger on the page and read every part of the book. So, I find myself wanting to write books, learn about fixing machines, trying to be a fitness nut, be a pastor, be a dad, and do everything else that ever catches my fancy. The hard truth is that I cannot do everything all the time. If I keep my finger on every story to try to live them all, eventually the story will get lost and confused.

Another version of this I have seen is when people reach a point where they no longer want to make adventurous choices at all. It’s easy to stick our book on the shelf and not move forward with the story. It’s easier to simply stop moving forward than it is to learn new things or grow as a person or help others grow into something better. It’s also easy to never ask, “Am I doing what God is asking me to do with my life?”

rsion that I have noticed involves folks who have lost the ability to look forward to the next decision. Sometimes, we experience a moment of glory or a tragedy that is so momentous that we lose the ability to look at anything else. It begins to define who we are. We get stuck on that page because we are so busy reliving those days that we cannot continue living the days we are in right now. This one is the most tragic, in my mind. Life is meant to be lived. Every day we have is a gift from God that we get to spend however we choose, but once it is spent we cannot go back. We all need days that are spent resting or enjoying the simple things in life. However, it is easy to lump all of our days into “just getting by” type activities. It is easy to not use them for better things. I will only have so many days with my kids before they are adults. My wife and I have only so many days together before one of us passes away. It makes no sense to spend that time with the book on the shelf collecting dust or staring at the past instead of enjoying them to the fullest or spending them accomplishing God’s purpose for our lives. We all have to choose our own adventure, the trick is if it’ll be a story worth reading.