The Call to Adventure

Our stories are what bring us together, either the telling of past experiences or living new ones that will turn into stories later. Through narrative we find connection with the people we care about. I believe that when God was deciding how he would connect with us, he created this thing called Story. God ordered it in such a way that the narrative form would reflect the story of his Son, Jesus. I see the parallels, and to me this is proof that God exists.

Modern story structure identifies 12 steps. Each step builds on the momentum of the last. In the Ordinary World the story is at a standstill. Where the train starts to slowly leave the station and build up speed is:

The Call to Adventure

I stand at the door and knock…

Revelation 3:20

There’s little to no conflict in the Ordinary World. Something has to change, and that something is the Call to Adventure. An old enemy comes asking for help. There’s a distress signal from a distant planet. A loved one across the country has passed away. Perhaps it’s something good, like news of a contest our hero knows she can win. No matter what form the call takes, the hero is presented with a situation only ignored at great risk.

In the movie Taken (which is so formulaic the page numbers nearly appear on the screen), it’s a literal phone call.

We don’t know what kind of conversations took place between the Father and Son before Jesus came to earth. We do know that at the end of creation God looked at all he had made and saw that it was very good. Eden was life as God intended, perfect harmony between God and all that he had made. Eventually, those who trust in God will return to the unity of the original Ordinary World. But that’s a topic for another time.

All was good. And then, disaster. Make no mistake, Eve was not tricked into disobeying God. The serpent, Satan, appealed to her pride, and her husband didn’t stop her because he liked what he was hearing just as much. The serpent promised them that if they ate the fruit they would “be like God.” If someone thought the potential was there, how could he or she not take it? Satan was feeding into their pride and they ate it right up, literally and figuratively.

Something changed.

And it required action.

We need to remember that in the beginning, in the Ordinary World, there was no religion, only relationship. The original plan was for us to interact with God like a parent with children. So God’s telling Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree wasn’t a religious command. It was more like if my mom baked a cake and asked me not to cut into it because she had a plan for it. Good relationships have boundaries, and putting ourselves first is crossing lines and damaging to the relationship. There are consequences. Because of Adam’s sin, for a time religion was the only way to interact with God. Thankfully, because of the work of Jesus we can have something closer to a relationship again, with the promise of a perfect relationship in Eternity.

Once Adam and Eve damaged their relationship with God it was up to him to fix it. This was the Call to Adventure in God’s great Story. And God was very clear about the action he would take when he told the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” In other words, “Things are going to get worse; there will be pain, but you will be punished and I will come out on top.”

Going back Taken, we remember the end of the “very particular set of skills” speech: “If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it… But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”

Our Call to Adventure is different, depending on where we are at with God. If we’re keeping God out of our lives, in Revelation 3 Jesus says, “I stand at the door and knock.” Barging in and forcing us into obedience would be religion all over again. He knocks, because he’s looking for a relationship. At the start of any new relationship there is excitement and anxiety as we learn about the other person and how the relationship will work. Thankfully, Jesus wouldn’t even be there if he wasn’t gracious and patient.

If we have welcomed God into our lives, we must remember what Jesus said in Luke 10: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few… I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves… Heal the sick and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near to you.’” Yes, “lambs in the midst of wolves.” Yikes! There is danger involved. Pain, heartache and sacrifice will be required. But no powerful story can be told without them.

To what adventure is God calling you? Is he calling you to share the news of his Kingdom? Or is he still knocking, waiting for you to let him into your life?

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16