Adventures are generally more interesting than fairy tales. They introduce us to travelers; pilgrims rather than princes and princesses- real life men and women, boys and girls. We meet people to who we can relate- people just like us. They fight battles and don’t always win. They’re not always strong or pretty. They don’t always live happily ever after. They cry real tears; they feel very real pain. These are not heroes lifted high above so we can admire them from afar; they are our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, our friends. We don’t look from afar and wish we could be like them. We stand beside them; walk with them through their joys and sorrows; learn from their successes and mistakes. After we have been with them a while, we realize that we are changed for the better. We realize that we have been inspired, not by ‘great and mighty’ deeds, but by ‘little’ acts of kindness and timely words of wisdom and are better now that when the adventure begun.

I love fairy tales. I have a copy of the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack. :-) I have indulged in a good amount of chick flicks!! But there are few things I love more than taking the journey with Sam and Frodo all the way from the peaceful, safe Shire through dangerous and strange places all the way to Mordo, the most evil place. Something stirs inside of me when Frodo, at the end of the Fellowship of The Ring says to Sam, “I’m glad you’re with me, Sam.” Something in me comes alive as I watch Boromir (who just previously failed the ‘test’ and gave in the evil of the ring) fight with all his might to save two little hobbits (his friends) and is killed as a result. I watch with excitement and expectancy as Erwin chooses mortality so that she can be with the one she loves (even though she is uncertain of what their future holds). And I breathe out, greatly relieved as Sam and Frodo sit on a rock in Mordor, the ring destroyed the battle won, but not without much sacrifice- tears shed, blood spilled, real pain, very real heartache!!!

There are many times when I want life to be fairy tale. I want to magically ‘fix’ everything that’s broken. I want to make is so we all ‘live happily ever after’. I want it so that there is no pain no sacrifice and not just for my sake, but especially for the sake of those I love and care about, some really close to me, others not so close, but close enough that I care. I am slowly learning that pain, sacrifice, and tears are not fun, but they are the stuff that adventures are made up of, and that’s what life is- an adventure. From Genesis to Revelation, we read about the adventure called life. God is not a hero, above beyond reach; no! He is right beside us, experiencing life with us. He doesn’t have to, He chooses to because He loves us. He says to us,

“My lover spoke and said to me,
‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.
See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.
Flowers appear on the earth;
The season of singing has come…
Arise, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.’”
Song of Songs 2:10-13

Yes, God is a romantic!!! He pursues us, yes, we are worth pursuing, so worth pursuing!!!!