Ten-Year-Old Adventure

“I used to think knowing God was like going on a business trip with Him, but now I know He’s inviting me on an adventure instead.” – Bob Goff

“I think a father’s job, when it’s done best, is to get down on both knees, lean over his children’s lives, and whisper, ‘Where do you want to go?'” – Bob Goff

I desire to be the kind of dad that gets down on both knees leaning into the thick of my children’s lives. How often do we invite our kids into a great adventure, one which they define? Do we really love what they love and then join them in it? I am a certified funhog, and I still do not get it right most of the time. According to Bob, if we start loving like Jesus loves, then we will start living like Jesus lives. Jesus gave his life, and we can expect to do no less.

In the must read book Love Does, Bob Goff inspires me, “Sweet Maria and I made a pact early in our marriage: when each of our children reached ten years old, they got to go on a trip with dad. We called it a ‘ten-year-old adventure.’ The idea was simple. The kids got to pick something in the world that captured their imaginations, fanned their whimsy, or sparked their curiosity, and then we’d just go do it together. There was no planning, no preparation, no thinking about all the details. We’d just go do it.”

As I read about Bob and his kids’ ten-year-old adventures I knew it was a tradition that I would like to adopt for my own family. Each child is unique, which gives you a glimpse into what you are in for as they choose their adventure. Kendall, the first up, loves history and the Bible. So, her choice of the holy land fit perfectly with who she is.

We will be heading to Israel with sleeping accommodations in place, otherwise a very open schedule. This gives God the opportunity to move and us the opportunity to “learn about each other and the world by what we experience in it“. Kendall and I both are excited to see what God has in store and how we will grow together through it. Family is indeed the adventure and relationship the journey!

Chloe, our second born, is watching her big sister getting ready to launch on her ten-year-old adventure. During our a family meal this week, Chloe innocently asks, “Daddy where are the most intense canyons in the world?”. Not understanding the context, I answer “Reunion Island, off the coast of Madagascar has some of the most intense canyons in the world. There are 1000+ vertical foot rappels, through waterfalls. There are super long water slides down rock chutes. There are incredibly high canyon jumps into deep crystal clear water.” Chloe, looking at me with a gleam in her eye says, “Daddy, we are going to Reunion Island for my ten-year-old adventure and I can’t wait!”

I told Chloe to pray about it and get back with me next year when she turns 10. (She may have a whole new passion by then.) For now, Kendall and I are off to Israel…