Joshua Tree National Park
I've been in California two months now. Just long enough to get my bearings and start to settle in. Somethings are better than I expected, some are not quite what I expected but it's all good. I'm enjoying watching God's plan unfold in this new season of life. Learning to navigate what He has brought me to requires faith, patience and lots of time with Him. But it's been fun!
I'll be honest, my first couple weeks here I did my best to see all I could. Made new friends. Experienced new things. Really wanted to shake myself up and learn to just enjoy all the changes and transition. But it wasn't long before I was craving a routine. Wanting consistency. Looking for a schedule. I like things to be in order. I like to know what's going on. Who knew?
Yesterday I got out of my routine and did something I've never done before...rock climbing! We went to Joshua Tree National Park to scout out camp sites for our Fall Retreat this weekend for The Ignition. I love doing things for the first time. I love scouting trips. I love getting to go ahead of everybody and see things. Experience things. Get the feel of it all. And as much as I enjoy a routine...I LOVE getting OUT of my routine. Getting of the beaten path. Trying something new. Making a way where there has been no way. Pioneering. Being different. Doing something no one else will do. Doing what no one else thinks can be done. It fires me up. It's what defines adventure.
That might seem like a lot to get from one day of rock climbing. But it stirred me up. I don't want to get comfortable in my routine. I want to explore new places and experience new adventures. And I want to challenge you to step out of your routine, out of your comfort zone and experience some adventures for yourself.
You learn so much about yourself when you try something new! Something you aren't entirely comfortable with or confident in. Example: I'm not a fan of heights. In fact I didn't realize how much of a fan I wasn't until I had climbed to the top of some rocks and looked down. YIKES! Legs shaking, feeling like you're swaying in the wind...not a good time to realize this isn't your forte. But the more I pushed myself, the more I hiked, the more I climbed, the easier it got. The views were amazing. And it's exhilarating to realize you've accomplished something you've never done or that you aren't really good at. Plus, when you reach the top and look at your surroundings, you look down, you look up, you look out...you see the vastness and greatness of all God created. You can't help but stand in awe of Him.
It would have been easy for me to say, you know what, I don't feel like climbing. You go on ahead. I'll stay down here and take pictures. But I had to try. I chose to step out of my comfort zone. I decided to deviate from my routine and see what could happen. And I don't regret one moment of it. I had a great time! And I can't wait to go back and do it again. This one experience has challenged me to not get comfortable--in anything. But to keep pushing. Keep trying. Keep experiencing. Keep learning. Keep seeing. Keep changing. Keep growing.
Try something you've never tried.
Do something you've never done.
Go somewhere you've always said you'd like to go but never have.
Take a different way to work.
Do routine, mundane things in a new way or in a new order.
You'll be surprised at how much LIFE change can bring. Be OK with change. Be fluid. Be flexible. So things in your day don't go the way you think or the way you'd like. It's not the end of the world. See it as an opportunity to do things differently. See things from the top, looking down. Instead of from the bottom, looking up. The view is much better from up here...and you can have so much fun getting there!
The view from the top!
Climbing
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