…attempting to climb Everest is an intrinsically irrational act – a triumph of desire over sensibility. Any person who would seriously consider it is by definition beyond the sway of reasoned argument. – Jon Krakauer from the book Into Thin Air

Twice a week at 6:00am my phone makes the most disturbing sound. With one eye open only the tiniest of fractions, I roll over and stab at a small area in the center of the phone. Mercifully, this puts an end to the infernal noise.

For nine minutes.

Repeat.

Repeat.

After exactly 27 minutes, I turn off the alarm. Then, not unlike some primordial beast emerging from its bog, slowly get out of bed. I put on a number of knee, shin and ankle braces, my athletic attire, grab a bottle of water and head to the local park where I meet my trainer to workout.

At this point, you’re rightly asking, “why would anybody put themselves through this torture?” Two reasons really. I’d like to be able to bend over and tie my shoes without losing my breath. Second, I’d like to lose 20 pounds.

Is that too much to ask?

For many of us, it does seem something akin to dreaming the impossible dream.

But twice a week, much like Don Quixote, I joust at the windmill that is weight loss.

Now, my trainer has a few things she says nearly every week. One is, “You’re going to hate this.”

She’s clairvoyant.

The second is, “You can do anything for 60 seconds.”

****

Recently, I agreed to be in a charity bachelor auction. Again you’re asking, “why would I do such a thing?” THAT is a question I asked myself many times in the weeks leading up to the event.

The answer? I wanted to get outside my comfort zone. To meet new people. To prove to myself that I could do it. I wanted to grow.

I wanted to go on an adventure.

Basically, the reason I agreed to auction myself off in front of a room full of inebriated women is the same reason I get up at 6:00am to do more burpees than seem humanly possible. It’s probably the same reason people attempt to climb the highest mountain on Earth.

We all have a desire to

grow

evolve

learn

question

hope

and believe that there is more out there than we’ve ever experienced before.

We can be better tomorrow than we were today.

For many people, however, this growing, learning and testing of limits has no place in their spiritual lives.

For them, all they need to know they really DID learn in Kindergarten.

God is good. The world is a broken place, but if we trust in Him, we’ll get to Heaven where everything will be good again.

And that’s really about it. Because to question bring all sorts of messy emotions into play, doesn’t it? What is heaven really like? Is God there? Or is He here? Who is “our neighbor?” Why do bad things happen to good people? Who is good? Who is God?

In some truly unfortunate situations, people have actually been taught that to question is to doubt and to doubt is to sin. (This is, of course, the path to the dark side.)

At all costs, trust, believe and preserve the status quo.

But this isn’t the way of the world is it?

The world changes. It evolves. Mistakes are made. Choices are forced upon us. People hurt us. Things we count on one day, we’re no longer certain of the next.

Life is messy. Why can’t our faith be?

The Bible is full of messy faith.

Jacob wrestled an Angel.

Moses needed proof.

Job questioned God.

Jonah was swallowed by a fish.

Peter nearly drowned trying to walk on water.

Jesus felt forsaken.

Are you questioning God? Are you wondering just why things happen the way they do? Are you searching for something more?

You’re in good company.

When my trainer says, “You can do anything for 60 seconds,” she doesn’t really mean that does she? I mean, I couldn’t climb up on my roof, jump off and fly. That “flight” would last all of 4 seconds. What she really means is, “I know this is tough. But don’t give up. It won’t last forever. When you are finished, you will be so proud of yourself.”

Isn’t that what life is about? Isn’t THAT the definition of faith? It isn’t believing in something no matter what. It’s trusting that there’s something bigger and better just around the corner.

So, may today be the day that you step out of your comfort zone to discover there is so much more. That life in all it’s messy glory really is an adventure. You really can do anything for 60 seconds. And God, who is so much bigger than we can possibly imagine, is right in the middle of it all.