While I enjoy running the trails and roads of Asheville, nothing beats running somewhere I haven’t been, the opportunity to explore a new city first thing in the morning before the place comes to life. Most hotels now have running maps; safe, simple, typically short routes around the hotel or within just a mile or two of the grounds. I never ask for them. I throw caution to the wind and take off, sometimes after simply asking the bellman which direction I should head to best explore the area. This past week I visited Alaska for the first time – Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. In Anchorage, I ran downtown, eventually finding a trail which weaved its way along a beautiful, raging river filled with salmon. In Fairbanks, I followed an old gold mining road a few miles out and saw several moose and one lone white wolf. In Juneau, I ran from the airport hotel towards the seaport, along the way witnessing bald eagles diving down to steal fish from an estuary at low tide.
Here’s my point. With every run, I had an option. Play it safe, stay close to the hotel running several short loops around the block or down the main drag and back. I’d get my run in just the same, gaining cardiovascular benefits and burning the same number of (beer) calories I consumed the night prior. It would have been boring as hell, but I could have checked the box in my Franklin Planner delivering another mini-endorphin kick that I get from accomplishing something. But here’s what I would have missed; the moose, the wolf, the salmon, the bald eagles, the beauty and splendor of God’s amazing creation that is unique to Alaska. It’s the same option and decision no matter where I travel.
Our lives are filled with similar options and decision points. We feel safe in a job which we also feel lukewarm about doing. We’d much rather be pursuing something else God has called us to do, but we have a bills to pay and kids to feed and other people’s expectations to meet. So we stick to the safe route, waking up every day and driving to work only to return nine hours later the same path home. The scenery doesn’t change, but hey, it’s comfortable and it’s a job. Do you ever wonder what you might be missing out on? What if God has bigger plans, bigger visions, and an even more dramatic change in scenery in store? How long are you willing to play it safe, only ever experiencing a small slice of what could be? What is it that you’re waiting on? It doesn’t have to be your job – it could be an interest, passion or goal you’ve put off, going back to school to finish a degree, or a relationship you’ve been reluctant to pursue. God intends for us to explore life, with vigor and passion, living each day intentionally for Him, fulfilling the purpose which He has planned for our lives. Playing it safe gets us through to the end, but along the way we’ll have missed out on all that we could have become or experienced.
"You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” - John Mason
Here’s my point. With every run, I had an option. Play it safe, stay close to the hotel running several short loops around the block or down the main drag and back. I’d get my run in just the same, gaining cardiovascular benefits and burning the same number of (beer) calories I consumed the night prior. It would have been boring as hell, but I could have checked the box in my Franklin Planner delivering another mini-endorphin kick that I get from accomplishing something. But here’s what I would have missed; the moose, the wolf, the salmon, the bald eagles, the beauty and splendor of God’s amazing creation that is unique to Alaska. It’s the same option and decision no matter where I travel.
Our lives are filled with similar options and decision points. We feel safe in a job which we also feel lukewarm about doing. We’d much rather be pursuing something else God has called us to do, but we have a bills to pay and kids to feed and other people’s expectations to meet. So we stick to the safe route, waking up every day and driving to work only to return nine hours later the same path home. The scenery doesn’t change, but hey, it’s comfortable and it’s a job. Do you ever wonder what you might be missing out on? What if God has bigger plans, bigger visions, and an even more dramatic change in scenery in store? How long are you willing to play it safe, only ever experiencing a small slice of what could be? What is it that you’re waiting on? It doesn’t have to be your job – it could be an interest, passion or goal you’ve put off, going back to school to finish a degree, or a relationship you’ve been reluctant to pursue. God intends for us to explore life, with vigor and passion, living each day intentionally for Him, fulfilling the purpose which He has planned for our lives. Playing it safe gets us through to the end, but along the way we’ll have missed out on all that we could have become or experienced.
"You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.” - John Mason
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