By Gianna Cousino
Staff Writer
In all stories, the hero must go through a series of trials and journeys across foreign, unknown lands. The hero continues to grow throughout his travels, and at the end of the story, he achieves what he set out to do. We all know this. What we don’t realize is that we are living in our own stories, living our own adventures.
How is life an adventure? Life is an adventure because it is a journey through the unknown. We never know where life will take us next. We must walk the path, never knowing what may lie just beyond the bend. It is a thrilling, terrifying path. It is a path many avoid, fearful of the danger and content with the comforts of home.
However, avoiding life is not truly living. We must journey on this adventure and face both the good and the bad. We must push past our limits and go farther than we ever thought we could go. We must live in our own stories. It is our duty; it is our quest; it is up to us to take it on. If we refuse this call, how can we expect to grow?
J.R.R. Tolkien used a character in “The Hobbit” as a perfect example of this. This character, Bilbo Baggins, thought he was perfectly content at home and didn’t want to leave it. When adventure came knocking on his door, he tried to protest against it.
However, he made the journey and became an entirely new person on his return home. He made new connections and new friends. He also gained new strength and a realization of his abilities. He came through the trials stronger and more resilient than ever before. In the end, when Bilbo made his way back home again, he was a far greater hobbit than he had been before he set out.
It is the same way for us. When we are thrust into a new adventure, we must learn to defeat the obstacles in our path. Through our experiences, we grow in our own unique abilities. Perhaps, along the way, we may even discover strengths that we never knew we had. Life, like an adventure, tends to bring out our gifts and teaches us how to use them in a powerful way.
But won’t it be hard? Indeed, and in many ways. In life, we are faced with setbacks and hardships that cause us to struggle. At times, these difficulties seem too strong for us, and we begin to doubt whether we can overcome them at all.
However, we must keep striving to overcome them. If we give up in the face of every hardship, how can we improve? How can we become better people if we refuse to be refined by the fire?
We must also remember that we are not alone. St. Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This does not take away the obstacles in life, but it gives us a weapon with which to fight them. No one has ever succeeded alone, so why should we have to?
While we must keep going to grow and become stronger, we must also accept our weaknesses and rely on others who we can depend on to guide us through. This is true in every adventure, and it is true in ours.