The Next Rung

Why does the next monkey bar always seem so much further then the one behind you? As a kid I remember swinging to the next bar always seemed far more difficult then it actually was. It was always much easier to simply stay swinging on the same bar and never move forward. Yet that was never actually any fun or worthwhile. The only time the monkey bars were fun was when you were swinging forward or doing something reckless that made your mom worried. Yet as I have grown older I have lost that sense of fearlessness and replaced it with one of safety and comfort. I would rather stay with the safe & comfortable because venturing forth means facing the fear of the unknown. Yet just like when I was a kid - that desire to push beyond the realm of comfort remains - even if I have gotten use to keeping it contained. One of my favorite authors is John Eldredge and he put is this way, "Desire fuels our search for the life we prize. Our desire, if we listen to it, will save us from committing soul-suicide, the sacrifice of our hearts on the altar of 'getting by.' The same old thing is not enough. It never will be." So why does the same old thing tend to win out? Why do we settle? Why do we cling to the same rung on the monkey bars eyeing the one in front but knowing the only move we'll end up making is backwards or staying on the same rung? The sacrifice it takes to live in safety & comfort seems like a far bigger loss then the sacrifice of taking the chances on moving forward in life. Easy to acknowledge - but surprisingly difficult to do. Its a sad reality when you realize your 5-year-old self would look at your adult self with eyes of pity. So the encouragement is this - SWING FORWARD and see the adventure the awaits.