The greatest adventure

Life can be so full of busy schedules and specific agendas that we often forget things that should trump what’s in our daily planners.

Like people.

I love adventures, but I am not the world’s biggest traveler. In fact, I’ve never actually left the country. I don’t even own a passport. But, to me, life has never really been about the places I’ve traveled but more about the experiences I’ve had.

And it’s the people who makes those experiences happen.

I had a conversation with a very wise individual last week, and he said something that really stuck with me: “The greatest adventure in life is people.” Preach, brother. In our day-to-day happenings, we encounter so many different people. Some are good friends, some are acquaintances, some we don’t even know. Some we will never even try to get to know—but everyone is worth getting to know.

I love love. I’ve declared it before, and I will continue to do so. But my view of what love truly is—what love does—has changed so much over the years. I realize that it’s not just the fairy tale stuff I learned about when I was younger. It’s not just two people getting butterflies in their stomachs or kissing passionately in the pouring rain. It’s so much more. I don’t think I can accurately box love up in some definition using a bunch of different words. It’s too special for that. But, it’s something you can see in people. You can see it in the way they live and the way they treat people—the way they love people.

It’s not easy to like everyone. There are some people whom you might not get along with or whose company you simply don’t enjoy. But you can still love them. Love involves sacrifice for the sake of others. Last time I checked, Jesus died for people who weren’t exactly his besties—but He loved them, anyway. That’s just how love works: it’s blind to caring about only oneself but instead cares for others.

Genuinely cares.

Every single person on this earth deserves love. Who are we to take that away from each other? I know I want to be loved for me and never feel like I have to try to be or act a certain way to win others over. And I’m never going to do that. No one should. We were all uniquely made as the people we are for a reason. I’m overly punctual, hate numbers in increments of five, can’t hear a Taylor Swift song without singing (and maybe dancing), definitely don’t wash my hair every day, have to write things down so they don’t get overlooked in my chaotic schedule, bring my own Wheat Thins to restaurants and twitch when I see bad grammar. Not everyone is like me, and not everyone should be like me.

But our differences should never be a barrier for love—rather, they should be an invitation for love.

The way we treat people matters, because they matter. All of them. I don’t expect everyone to join hands and form a circle around the entire planet while singing some joyous song in perfect harmony. It would be beautiful, though, to see love prevail over the hatred we continue to witness in society. It doesn’t help anyone who is a target of hate, and it certainly doesn’t help those individuals who are not choosing love. I know we won’t all be flippin’ our fins in glee like Ariel did when she was overflowing with love for Prince Eric, but it’s a better image than Ursula growing to the size of a gargantuan and making the entire sea and sky become darkened with evil.

But I think we know how that movie ended. Love can conquer more than we can ever imagine. Jesus proved that long ago and continues to prove it every single day. Paul once reminded the Corinthians of a truth I think we all need to be reminded of. Maybe it will help us treat people better and even live our lives a bit differently if we remember it more often: love never fails.

The greatest adventure in life is people. We need to get to know people. We need to love people.

It’s an adventure that will bring you more than any sightseeing and tourist attractions ever could.