After a good night’s sleep in their hotel, Kris and Kell woke up at 6:30am because the phone was ringing! A woman from Misadventures…Plus told them that they needed to drive to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park in Michigan. Kell looked up the location and found that they could drive there in a little less than seven hours, so they packed up their things, ate some breakfast, and hit the road!
The trip was uneventful, and they enjoyed the scenery as they drove north through Michigan. As they were traveling, Kell got a text message telling them that they had a reservation in a hotel near the park. They arrived at the hotel and checked in. It was too late in the day to explore the park, so they relaxed and went swimming in the hotel pool for the rest of the day.
The next morning, they went to the park and could not believe how tall some of the sand dunes were! They got some information about things to do in the park, decided that they wanted to do ‘The Dune Climb’. The Dune Climb is a 3.5-mile trail that takes the hiker to the top of some tall sand dunes by the edge of Lake Michigan. The view is terrific, and the hiker can go down the dune and go for a swim!
It seemed like a great idea and a great adventure. Kris and Kell changed into their swimsuits and Kell wore a pair of shorts over her swimsuit. Kell reminded Kris that they needed to put on sunscreen often because it is easy to get sunburned when a person is near water. Kell put the tube of sunscreen in the pocket of her shorts.
The hike was incredible and soon they were on top of a huge sand dune over 400 feet above Lake Michigan! The view was terrific, and the water looked so blue and inviting! The sun was starting to make the sand hot, so it seemed like a good time to go down to the lake and take a swim!
Kris said, “We need to get a running start, and then jumped over the edge of the sand dune! Maybe we can roll all the way down to the lake.” It seemed like a good idea at the time, so that is what they did. They backed up, held hands, and ran to the edge and jumped! They rolled over and over, they did flips and turned somersaults, they got sand in their hair, in their swimsuits, and even some sand in their mouths! It was so much fun; they did not want it to ever end! The people on the beach at the bottom of the sand dune were pointing and laughing, but Kris and Kell did not care, they were having too much fun!
When they finally reached the bottom of the sand dune, Kris and Kell had sand over their entire bodies, but they just ran across the beach and splashed into Lake Michigan! The water was cold but so refreshing! Kris and Kell played and swam in the water for a long time, and then they sat and the beach and dried off in the hot sunshine!
Finally, it was time to head back to the trail so they could get back to their car and go back to the hotel. They looked at that sand dune that they had tumbled down and could not believe how tall and steep it looked!
They began to climb the sand dune, but it was very hard work! They kept slipping and falling in the sand, and the sand was very hot! Every step it felt like the sand was trying to hang onto their feet and not let go! After they had been climbing and falling for quite a while, they were so tired that they had to stop and rest, and they could not believe their eyes! They were not even halfway up that dune!
After they had rested, they started to climb again, and they had an unpleasant surprise! Their muscles had gotten stiff while they were resting, and now it was even harder to climb up that sand dune! By the time they finally got to the top of that sand dune they were so tired, and they hurt so badly that both had tears in their eyes! Kell groaned and said, “Another misadventure! I feel like I am going to be sick!”
Kris pointed out that they still had to walk over 1 ½ miles to get back to their car. Kell groaned again and said, “Carry me!” Kris wanted to be a good husband so he did try to give Kell a piggyback ride, but he was so tired that he could not carry her far, and he collapsed in the sand! Kell felt sorry for Kris, so she struggled to her feet and slowly began to walk.
Eventually they got back to their car and drove to the hotel. They drank a lot of water, ordered some good food, and ate. Then they both took showers to get all the sand off them and then went to the pool area and soaked in the hot tub. It felt so good and relaxing!
Lesson Learned about God
While they were soaking in the hot tub, Kris asked, “Did we learn anything about God today? I am too tired to even think!”
Kell thought for a few minutes and then said, “I think maybe we can learn one thing from our misadventure today. We were so excited when we saw the great view of the lake and the beautiful blue water that we did not stop to think about how hard it would be to climb back up the dune. Without thinking, we just went right ahead and tumbled down that dune because it looked like it would be fun!
We did not consider that the cost of that fun tumbling down the dune would be having to climb back up to the top of the dune! Climbing that dune was very hard, I am very tired and sore now, and I will probably be more sore tomorrow! Right now, we think that this day was a big misadventure because we are hurting, but in a few weeks when we look back and talk about this day, we will probably remember and talk about how beautiful the view was, how fun it was to tumble down the dune, and how great it was to swim and play in Lake Michigan! At that time, we will think that the adventure and the great memories are worth the pain that we are feeling now!
In the same way, Jesus warns people to count the cost of following Him. A Believer does not always have an easy life. Many times, a Believer goes through experiences that are very hard and they can get discouraged and wonder if following Jesus is worth it. However, when a Believer looks back at their life, they will realize that even though there are hard time, following Jesus is worth it because life with Jesus is an awesome adventure!”
In the Bible in Luke 14:27-33 Jesus says:
“And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple. But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.”
There is a cost for following Jesus. You need to give your life completely to Him. This can seem very scary, and it is hard to do. The life of a believer is not an easy life, but it is the greatest adventure ever! And after this life on earth is over, Believers get to spend forever with Jesus! The adventure is definitely worth the cost!
If you have not given your life to Jesus and started this great adventure, please do it today!
Report to the grandmother:
- At the travel agency – God has a good plan for us. Jeremiah 29:11
- Florida – God is watching over us, we do not need to be fearful. Psalms 23
- Wisconsin – Temptations. I Corinthians 10:13, Proverbs 14:12, I John 1:9
- Minnesota – Never take your eyes off Jesus. Matthew 14:22-33
- Kentucky – God’s Word (the Bible) is the truth! John 17:17
- Louisianna – Choose Heaven and the Tree of Life. Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21:27 thru 22:5
- Illinois – God is in control. Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28-30, Proverbs 16:9
- New Mexico – God is our place of safety. Psalms 46:1-3, Psalms 91:1-2, Psalms 18:1-2, John 14:1-3
- Alabama – Training for heaven. I Peter 1:18-21, I John 3:2-3, Ephesians 5:1-2, I Peter 2:21, II Timothy 4:6-8
- Georgia – Sin erodes a person’s life and brings death. Galatians 5:19-21, Romans 3:22-25a
- Texas – Jesus offers abundant life. John 10:10, Mark 12:29-31.
- Kansas – Humans are filled with hatred and evil. Genesis 8:21-22, Romans 3:21-25a.
- South Carolina – Reminder of the Crucifixion. Isaiah 53:3-9
- Arkansas – Jesus is Crowned with Glory and Honor. Hebrews 2:9-10, Revelation 19:16, John 11:25-26
- Idaho – Times of Refreshing. Acts 3:19-20a, Matthew 11:28-30, Isaiah 40:28-31
- Washington State – Obeying God is Important! James 1:22-25, James 4:17
- Oregon – Do not let your first love for Jesus erode. Revelation 2:4-5a, Psalms 51:10-12
- Ohio – We are secure in God’s hands. Isaiah 41:13, Psalms 139:9-10, Psalms 73:23-28.
- Iowa – God is in control: Past, Present, & Future. Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 4:8.
- South Dakota – Believers are the family of God. Ephesians 2:19-21, John 1:12-13, Ephesians 1:5, I Thessalonians 5:15-18.
- Indiana – Win the Race! I Corinthians 9:24-27, Matthew 25:21
- Michigan – Cost of following Jesus. Luke 14:27-33.