Your Greatest Adventure Isn't Where You Think

In the Dickson house there is one movie on repeat right now: Moanna. Our one and a half year old, Everly, LOVES the movie. It's the first movie she has ever really payed attention to. Up until now, it's been occasional shows that have captured her attention, such as Word Party, Little Baby Bum, Barney, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to name a few (#parentlife).  Her favorite scene in the movie is in the beginning when Moanna is a baby. 

This is the part of the movie I love as well because we meet our main character and learn the plot of the movie. Moanna has lived on paradise for her entire life and she is the heir to run the island one day. However, she feels there is something more than just life on the island. She even feels as if there is something calling her away from her home and life as she knows it in order to reconcile some dark magic that is trying to destroy her people. Thus the adventure begins…

So what does Moanna have to do with Hopetown? Professional Counseling is an adventure. In fact, I believe it’s one of the the greatest adventures someone could choose to go on. St. Augustine says:

“Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering.”

St. Augustine is highlighting what I believe to be true as well. The greatest adventure we will ever go on our lifetime, if we allow it, is within ourselves. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on Professional Counseling in my short lifetime, and I would do it all over again. I have never known myself more today than I have in my entire life, and it most certainly correlates with the hours spent in the Professional Counselor's office.

I am still a sinful human in need of infinite grace; however, the biggest difference from me today compared to myself 10 years ago is that I am now actually able to receive that grace. Ten years ago, "on paper," I probably looked like a stronger Christian that I am today. Back then, if you were to ask me how often I was reading my Bible and praying, I would respond, “Every Day and multiple times a day.” I was traveling overseas on mission trips every chance I got and I was volunteering in the church more than most others.  However, I was a joke of a man. I was lost and living in fear.  

Sometimes I meet the most knowledgeable and loving Christians who don’t have a clue about who they really are or what they want to do in life. This saddens me, because most of the time, they’re not even aware of this problem. Unfortunately, they are in danger of never knowing as they let it get pushed down into the unconscious further and further. I know this because I was on that same path until my breakdown of anxiety forced me into Counseling. 

One of my favorite psychiatrists is Carl Jung.  He says, “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

The greatest adventure anyone could go on doesn't involve hiking boots, nor does it involve big cities, fine wines, and expensive hotels. It doesn't involve a car or purchasing a plane ticket. 

What’s it going to take for us to actually do some real adventuring? What’s it going to take for us to really do some searching within ourselves? It will be painful at times, but it will be one of the greatest explorations we will ever choose to go on.

There’s a song in Moanna called “Where You Are,” with Moanna's father and the island’s villagers singing to Moanna, encouraging her that she be will most happy by staying on the island and not sailing out into the unknown ocean. In the middle of the song, Moana's grandmother, the "Town Crazy," who has been subversively urging Moanna to adventure away from her homeland sings her one, but powerful, stanza in the song:

"I like to dance with the water

The undertow and the waves

The water is mischievous, ha!

I like how it misbehaves

The village may think I'm crazy

Or say that I drift too far

But once you know what you like,

Well, there you are

You are your father's daughter

Stubbornness and pride

Mind what he says but remember

You may hear a voice inside

And if the voice starts to whisper

To follow the farthest star

Moana, that voice inside is who you are"

I can’t give you the answers, but I would love an opportunity to be a guide for you on your journey within. We'd truly be honored to serve you at Hopetown. Visit our Counseling Page for more information.

At the very least go watch Moanna :)