Lessons for Life's Adventure

Last weekend I took my 7 year old son on a camping excursion we call "Man Camp." It's a great time to spend quality time with him. He thoroughly enjoyed hiking, carving with his pocket knife, cooking hot dogs and discovering new things. As part of my desire to strategically mentor him into a young man, I gave him a journal with personal letters to him from his grandfathers and great-grandfathers. All are Christians. What a legacy! Since we hiked 3 miles along the Lewis and Clark trail, I wrote a summary of their adventure and what we can learn from it:

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Many years ago, Meriwether Lewis was given a challenge by Thomas Jefferson, the President of the United States. The challenge was to explore the unknown land west of the Mississippi River. They did not know what undiscovered treasures or dangers he would find. Meriwether Lewis knew he needed help for such a journey, so he asked his friend William Clark to join him. Lewis and Clark also knew that they needed some experts and advisors on their trip in order to make it to their destination. They hired boating experts, language experts, trail experts, hunting experts and knowledgeable advisors that had been on previous explorations.

Lewis and Clark led this team on their famous journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean with only boats and horses into uncharted territory. Even though they were uncertain what they would find, they had courage and experienced many wonderful adventures. They discovered beautiful mountains and rivers. They saw plants and animals they had never seen before. They also met a lot of interesting Native Americans who helped them during their journey. The explorers had some bad times, too. Grizzly Bears chased them and snakes almost bit them. They were often tired and hungry. No matter how bad their troubles were, however, they never gave up.

We can learn many things from Lewis and Clark. Here are some things I learned.

Challenge
Just like President Jefferson challenged Meriwether Lewis, we need people in our lives to challenge us. What challenges have people given you?

Friends
Meriwether Lewis knew he needed help on his journey in order to make it to his destination. We also need friends in our lives to help us on our journeys. Friends will significantly impact our lives and potentially determine if we make it to our destination. Who are your friends that help you in life and not hinder you?

Advisors
Since their is no way we can know everything, we need advisors to help us. Lewis and Clark realized the importance of advisors which is why they brought along many experts on their expedition. Getting to know new people and reading will help us find advisors for our life. Advisors help us make smart decisions to determine the direction we should go. This is important in our life because today's direction will determine tomorrow's destination. Who are your advisors?

Never Give Up
Even though challenges can be difficult, never give up. When you give up, you miss out on discovering the treasure at the end of every challenge. It might only take one more try to achieve your goal. Lewis and Clark never gave up even when they felt like it. What are times when you wanted to give up but you didn't?

Leadership
Leadership is guiding others towards a common goal. Leadership takes courage to do what is right and passionately committing yourself to the goal. Lewis and Clark led their team into the unknown. Due to their leadership, no one on their team gave up until they reached their destination and accomplished their goal. What are some adventures you would like to lead people on?