An Analogy

In 1995, Rebekah and I spent our honeymoon on Marco Island. It was a romantic celebration. In 2002, we returned for a romantic rescue trip, and it proved to be tremendous. The place holds special memories for us both.

Two weeks ago we returned, but this time it was a family adventure (Tori & Lucas made their Marco Island debuts).

Though the trip had some romantic significance, it was mostly a very different experience, as you might imagine! Instead of a romantic adventure between husband and wife, most of the trip was a family adventure, enjoying the beach, the gulf, the poolside ammenties, the Naples Zoo, a shell-gathering cruise, and the 80-degree temperatures. It was glorious and fun, but for much different reasons. I had to learn to see the adventure through the eyes of a child in order to truly enjoy it.

My analogy is this: for us apexers, the adventure with our Father has made the exact same transition. Back in the day, many of us were on a romantic adventure with God and our friends. It was a honeymoon sort of exerpience. Now, 50% of our community is under the age of 12. We are a family made up of parents and children more than ever. (here's a shout out to those without kids as well, there are some, but the tide has changed dramatically).

We are now on a family adventure. It's a different phase of the journey with different causes for celebration and different things to focus on. This year we must face that challenge better and become a people who learn to adventure with their kids instead of adventuring on our own. It may be a bit less romantic, at least at times. Yet once we learn to see the adventure through their eyes instead of our own, then we may get our first real glimpse at the true romantic adventure -- and it may be the best thing we've ever seen.