I posted the following on instagram just a while ago:
"In a day when parents are told to surround their children in bubble wrap and a blindfold to keep them "safe", I'm compelled to bring my children to the wilderness where they can wander, breathe, and explore. Growing up afraid of the world will never yield men and women who pioneer and the lesson here is this: until we are pushed beyond our own abilities there is no need for faith. We were born to explore, to learn, and to trail blaze. It's in our blood. There is a way to teach children safety without chaining them to the ground. The alternative, I fear, is a generation of men and women afraid to think, to speak, or to live fully. My prayer is these children would grow into people of Faith and Action, guided by God's spirit into a life of fearlessness."
I'm not really looking to do anything other than offer up my thoughts as a father of two young boys who thirst for the outdoors every day. It can be exhausting but it makes me so incredibly proud that I have two explorers in my house...that I haven't squelched their desire to learn about the world and their creator by telling them "Stop!", "Be careful!", or "Don't do that!". Of course, there are times we need to do those things...when there is mortal or moral danger...but I've noticed it can become a default mode for parents.
Rather than going on a journey with them, we prefer our kids to stick to the sidewalk, to keep up with the crowd rather than picking a flower. But I've been learning the joy and pleasure of slowing down, seeing the world through the eyes of a young pioneer, and teaching them what I know...and just letting them run in the fields and the sun.
Perhaps I'm just inexperienced, but I truly hope this instills a sense of wonder and freedom to explore as they grow into young men...and I hope that it would help develop them into faithful and fearless people among their peers. That they would be trail blazers and not men who simply follow what everyone else finds comfortable.
#fearless