My oldest son Tristan is 10… turning 11 this July. For his 10th birthday, Kyla and I wanted to give him something that he would never forget – a present that would hopefully have a lasting impact on how he understands and relates with God. Those types of presents don’t come via Amazon and they certainly cannot be found on the shelves of Toys R Us.
Rather than a gift, what we chose to give Tristan was an adventure – an adventure of his choosing. An adventure that would require him to risk, take steps of faith and to trust God. What we chose to give him was a ‘Ten Year Old Adventure’* (See the letter to Tristan below)
For his adventure, Tristan, our avid Star Wars fan, has chosen to go to try and meet Star Wars Creator, George Lucas. As we get ready to embark on the adventure of seeking to meet George Lucas this coming month, this will not only require risk, steps of faith and trusting God for Tristan, but for me as well. I have no idea how all of this will pan out and neither does Tristan. But as we set out on this adventure, we are both ok with this… we hope to meet George Lucas this month, but meeting Mr. Lucas is not the goal. The goal is to enjoy ALL that God will teach us and show us along the way.
Life with God is an adventure. We don’t have ALL the details of how things will pan out and to be honest, we have no idea of what will even happen tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but I’m ok with that – I’m ok with not having all the details. I’m ok with this because God is trustworthy. It’s taken many years, but I’ve learned that I can trust God not just with the details of my life, but with the entirety of my life. The adventure for me lies not in knowing all there is to know, but holding the hand of the One who does and enjoying all that He has to show me about Himself along the way.
As you think about it, both Tristan and I would welcome your prayers as we embark on this adventure together. We look forward to sharing updates along the way of all that we see God doing in our midst!
Dear Tristan,
Happy 10th birthday! This is a special day… the day that you are no longer a single digit boy, but a double digit young man! :) Both your mommy and I are very proud of the young man that you are growing to be. You have a sensitive heart – both towards God and those around you. You have great joy in everything you do, and you are a great joy to be around! Mommy and I thank God that He has entrusted to us such an awesome son, and we are so excited to see all the great things God will do with you and through you!
You have already made the most important decision one can ever make in life – the decision to have a relationship with Jesus! Jesus loves you very much and has great plans for you in the days ahead. As we’ve talked about before – life with Jesus is an adventure. It’s an adventure because we don’t always know what’s next. Life with Jesus is not about just following a list of rules and regulations, it’s about following Him where ever He calls us to go.
I know that you like to plan things out as best as you can, but an adventure is not something to be planned, rather, it’s something to be experienced! So our gift to you for your 10th birthday will be to take you on the adventure of your choosing… we will call this your ‘Ten year old adventure.’
So here’s what I will need you to think about…
- What is something that you’d love to see…
- What is something that you’d love to do…
- What is something that you’d love to know…
When you have an answer to those questions… let me know and you and I will set off on an adventure to experience all that you’d like to see, do and know! Be creative Tristan… use your imagination and whatever you come up with, know that I will be excited to experience that adventure with you!
Mommy and I love you very much! We are very proud of you and thankful to call you our son! For the better part of the last 20 years, our lives have be an adventure with Jesus and we have seen Him do amazing things along the way. Our prayer for you as you continue to get older is that you’d see that there is no greater adventure in life than the adventure we get to live out every day with Jesus!
I can’t wait to see what adventure you and I will go on this year… I love you very much!
* The idea of a ‘Ten Year Old Adventure’ came from reading the book ‘Love Does’ by Bob Goff.
