Exploring is a Way of Life...

     As of last Friday afternoon, we have become foster parents.  Last week we adopted a Lab/Border Collie mix from “Angels of Assissi,” and now the formerly named “Adeline” is formally named “Summit.”  Technically we are “fostering” the dog until she is spayed, but for all intents and purposes (and we have not intention of giving her back), she is our newest addition to the family.
    Summit has turned out to be a wonderful dog. At eleven weeks she is a joy to play with, and my eight year old daughter has been especially blessed by her enthusiasm and energy.  Both she and the dog are able to work off energy, which has made things a lot easier for all of us.  The boys have enjoyed having her around, and my wife and I are having fun being attentive to sniffing and training, so that she learns the parameters for living together as community.
    This week the kids have been finishing up the school year and my wife at work, so I’ve brought Summit with me to the office every day.  She quickly learned where my office is, and while I work she lays down beside my chair and sleeps, which amazes me.  However, after sleeping most of the day and adding the energy of the kids to the mix, when she gets home the puppy comes out in her.
    The energy level goes up and she’s gets hyper.  The chewing starts up, and we spend hours throwing balls and toys so she can chase them and bring them back to us.  There are things we have to get done, so we will leave her alone with her stuff.  Though she hasn’t destroyed anything (yet), we will often find her roaming the house exploring.    If there is a door open, she is looking behind it.  When walking by the recycling bin, she peers in, looking for something to drag out.  And she is constantly checking under the sofa for something new to examine.
    Overall, she has been amazingly calm for an 11 week old puppy, and she has not gotten into trouble, but in observing her I have been reminded that exploration is how she learns about the world.  Just like a crawler or toddler, when one is young there is no fear nor inhibition toward seeking out the unknown and trying to learn more about the world. 
    Yes, there can be danger involved when one goes out exploring, but there is also always an adventure in store.  The mindset is that there is stuff to learn in the world, and the more they learn, the better they will be.  For a young child and puppies, exploration is a way of life, and it is the way they learn about life.
   
    As a pastor but also as a Christian, one of the most important things I/we can do is reflect upon the things that are before us all the time.  At the church, one of the things we are trying to instill in the culture is to pray every day, “Lord, help me to see what YOU need me to see,” then be open to seeing and responding as led.
    As a pastor and Christian, I also think often of how easy it is to “stay in our lane,” as a friend likes to say, and simply do what we’ve always done, see the world as it always has been seen, and live as we always have.  In a word, it’s easy to stop exploring, and when we stop exploring we can make THAT a way of life, rather than being adventurous.  And yet if we examine scripture, God’s people have always been explorers who trust in God.

    God came to Abram and said, “pick up everything and follow me.  If you do I will make you descendants as numerable as the starts.”  God spoke to Moses in a burning bush and said, “I need you to tell Pharoah that it’s time for my people to be freed from slavery.”  Though he tried to get out of it, Moses followed and God led the people to freedom.  David was small of stature, and yet he stood up the Goliath and defeated the Giant.  And the Prophets, over and over again risked life and limb, and yet God made a way for them to be blessed and a blessing.
    When Jesus recruited the disciples, they had livelihoods.  Their lives were set, but Jesus gave an invitation, “Follow me,” and they did.  Their lives were changed and so was the world.  And throughout the span of time, God’s disciples and followers have been led to places where the unexpected, and even undesired, resulted in glory for the follower and God.   

     As a people of The Book, the example that is set is for those who follow Christ to be in a mode of

following God’s lead, and when one follows God’s lead, one must take on the mentality of an “explorer”.  We set our minds that we want to do God’s will, and then we seek to see what God wants us to see and be willing to follow.  As we do, we will be led to explore, and if we explore we will see the world differently.

    Sometimes that exploration is self-exploration where we examine ourselves and adjust our lives accordingly.  Sometimes the invitation is to explore neighborhoods, people, or situations where we don’t feel comfortable.  Sometimes the invitation is to explore how we, individually and communally, fall short of God’s desire for our lives.  Whatever the case, God’s call for us to follow with a mind set that places “exploring as a way of life.”
    To do so may feel scary and bring about feelings of uncertainty, but if and when we do, God can open up a whole new world for us.  When we do, like a small child or puppy, we actually learn about the world that’s around us, expanding our horizons, and recognizing that all of it is God’s world...God’s gift to us.

How much of your life is tainted by an “explorer’s” mentality?  How does your Trust and Faith in God, determine who you are and how you live?