There are seasons in life when things are exciting and new. There are graduations and weddings and births. There are new jobs and big moves and change. Life is an adventure full of thrill and discovery. 

That is why we have such a love/hate relationship with social media. We get to see other people’s adventures. We get to sit in the stands and watch as people launch out into unknown territories and accept new challenges. We are able to cheer them on as they embark on adventures, but we do so from the sidelines. We see the photos and read the updates, but we do it from our living rooms with the dusty coffee table and the juice-stained carpet.

What do you do when your life is not an adventure? What if your challenge of the day is finding another way to make chicken for supper? What about when the biggest decision you’re currently making is whether or not to cut your hair? Maybe the most daring thing you’ve done lately is take all of the kids to the grocery store before the baby had her nap. {Don’t kid yourself. That takes guts.} Because there are seasons like that, too. It’s just that no one is giving daily updates with emoticons and pictures.

A couple of years ago, I had an opportunity to zip line across a canyon in New Mexico. Everyone who attended the conference had the same opportunity, but there was a catch. You had to be willing to hike up quite a little mountain to get to the platform. Then, you had to be willing to climb a rickety ladder to the top of the platform. By the time, you arrived at the adventurous part – the part you would want someone to actually photograph and paste all over Facebook – you were already a hot and sweaty mess. You had already done a lot of walking and struggling and bug swatting and work before you ever arrived at your destination o’ fun.

What I want you to consider is that you haven’t missed out on some great adventure. We are all just at different points. Someone may be zipping their way across the canyon and squealing with delight. While others of us are still in the mountain climbing, bug swatting stage. Just don’t give up.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. – Galatians 6:9

Keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t worry about where everyone else is on the journey. Don’t compare your adventure to theirs. And, whatever you do, do not listen to the enemy when he whispers in your ear. He wants you to feel defeated. Left out. Worn out. Like your best days are behind you. That is not true. God’s word is true and it promises us a harvest at the proper time and if we don’t give up.

These days will be behind you sooner than you think. The long days and the longer nights will give way to moments that you will be plastering all over social media. Then, when you see some other weary soul covered in sweat just trying to make it through the day, you can cheer them on because you remember that all of life is an adventure if you do not give up.