Lost?

Inside of every guy is a need to explore. The Discovery Channel takes exploration to the extreme in the series Man vs Wild (by the way, if you haven’t seen the Canyon Ridge Church version of this, check out this link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q8jxE1tHzU). Every man who has ever seen Man vs. Wild is confident that he could eat elephant dung or the eye of a yak to survive.

The original Man vs. Wild was Teddy Roosevelt (my personal hero). I just finished a book about his exploration of the River of Doubt in the Amazon jungle. Bear (from Discovery’s show) doesn’t have anything on Teddy! Roosevelt and his crew of 30 plus men survived malaria, starvation, 500 pound snakes, and flesh eating Indians... all for the sake of exploring uncharted waters.

Roosevelt knew his life was at stake... but he made the journey anyway.

The book (The River if Doubt by Candice Millard) inspired me to get out and explore the wild unchartered territory of (wait for it) Emmett, ID! I know... I know... Emmett doesn’t come to mind when people think danger and exploration, but I needed to see some place I’d never been before.

Last Sunday, I jumped on my motorcycle to have a closer look at the hills I can see 20 miles north of my home in Boise. On my journey, I “discovered” something unexpected. Just before you get into Emmett is a September, 11 memorial overlooking the valley where Emmett rests (you should take a drive to see it if you haven’t yet).

My need to explore was satisfied... but not everyone is as fortunate.

I know people who think God is hiding from them. Usually in painful times, the question, “Where is God in all of this?” surfaces. When everything in life seems to be falling apart, we want God to show up.

Should we keep looking for God when things don’t make sense?

Sometimes, life doesn’t work out the way we want it to... and not all endings are happy. However, the Bible encourages us to keep looking... because God promises to reveal Himself. He may not make every problem in your life disappear... He may not give you a million dollars.... He might not make an illness go away... or He might.

The point in searching for God is the journey. He is good. He does have more for us than this life. In the end, your discovery of God will be worth it all.