#teamDadventures

“A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for!”

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”

 

One of our family rules reads -- TRY NEW THINGS 

There aren’t many days that go by when this family rule goes unannounced. In fact, during a recent trip to a waterpark we made our plea to Fenley, “here is the challenge today – everyone must ride one ride (or go down one slide) that you haven’t tried before.” For some families this would not be a big deal at all, but for Team D, that’s just not the case. You see, Nathan and Fenley share some particularly cautious genes. Although Fenley did slide down a slide she hadn’t in quite some time, she wasn’t quite ready for something completely new. We could see the battle going on in her head.
And on this day we decided it wasn’t worth fighting for, so Nathan and Fenley went down the stairs as they watched Becca zoom down with a huge smile on her face. We made an exception that day, but more often than not, we encourage each other to win these little battles and to conquer our fears. Why? Because ultimately, we know there’s true enjoyment and abundant life experiences when you bust through those walls.

Nathan at Marlins Stadium in '05

This has been a constant in our relationship together. Before we were married, Nathan had never taken many risks. When he turned 21, he went with Becca’s family to the mountains to ski. Before the end of the second day on the mountain, on his 21^st birthday, he went down a black diamond slope. To this day he fears the slopes, but he loves being able to say he went down a black diamond on his 21^st birthday. He knows deep down that he experienced LIFE that day as he fought off a great fear. From day one we have shared in so many adventures together. Getting married at 21 and 19 years of age has allowed us to grow up together and experience so many life-changing moments. Our moves to Miami in 2005 and to Destin in 2013 were terrifying… BUT… God brought us closer to Him and to each other. We also were blessed to belong to great communities full of incredible people. Perhaps the greatest thing we have done together is become parents to Fenley. As we drove to the hospital that morning in September of 2006, not even knowing if we were having a boy or a girl, there was fear, but friends, much more than that there was LIFE!

In God’s word it reads in 1 John 4:18 that “there is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” The ultimate goal of love is fearlessness. Fear and worry will cripple the best of the best, but God’s love is fully able to drive out fear… completely, FULLY! Are you hearing this? Listen. God loves us and He’s telling us ALL that we don’t have to fear anyone or anything… EVER. Nathan recently read in a book that the following would be true for the overwhelming majority of people – our greatest moments in life were also the scariest moments. We found that to be true in our lives without a doubt. “We come alive by listening to God, trusting God, and relying on God.” So go on an adventure. Get out of your comfort zone. LIVE. These are

messages we’ve been hearing for weeks.

During a recent sermon, Nathan was prompted to ask these two questions of himself and our Team Daniel: First, What has the fear of failure kept him (or us) from doing in his (our) life? And the second question has been ringing in Nathan’s ears constantly – What would you set out to do if you knew that you could NOT fail? There are so many things that come to mind for us. We don’t want to be the one who buried his talents or the one who says I wish I had done this or I wish I had done that. We must not be afraid to fail.

When Nathan addressed his new team two years ago this month he began with a simple quote: “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.” He went on to explain that our family was quite comfortable before moving. In fact, life had become rather easy, effortless. And that is the very reason why we needed to be here now. God had something better for us. He had built us for something great, for a purpose we had not yet known. We were safe, but we aren’t called to safety and security. We are called to live lives of FAITH.  

Maybe it’s time we try something new, take some risks, and begin experiencing this abundant life that God truly wants for all of us.
I wonder what adventures Team D is waiting for...