Adventure, with all its requisite danger and wildness, is a deeply spiritual longing written into the soul of man.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:6—7, 9)

Most of the contexts are life and death, by the way, and God is your only hope. Your ezer. If he is not there beside you... you are dead. A better translation therefore of ezer would be "lifesaver." Kenegdo means alongside, or opposite to, a counterpart.

The first line grabs me by the throat. "Therefore we do not lose heart." Somebody knows how not to lose heart? I'm all ears. For we are losing heart. All of us. Daily. It is the single most unifying quality shared by the human race on the planet at this time. We are losing—or we have already lost—heart.

You're going to be okay. You're going to find your way. You are not alone.

You are the son of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step. This is perhaps the hardest thing for us to believe—really believe, down deep in our hearts, so that it changes us forever, changes the way we approach each day.

Dear friend, this fear is a mighty powerful force.

Be men of courage; be strong. —1 CORINTHIANS 16:13 NIV

Pressure nearly always guarantees you will have a hard time discerning what God is saying, if you hear anything at all.

But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds," declares the LORD, "because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares." (Jer. 30:16—17)

We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).