THE very word "adventure" quickens thought. It holds promise of discoveries. New worlds beckon. And yet mankind believes that at a moment adventure may turn into misadventure, that it is fraught with uncertainty and risk.
The world believes, for example, that it is the prerogative of youth to wander far afield and to indulge the physical senses. In the seventh chapter of Proverbs the writer describes this debasing form of misadventure. Therein are recorded the snares of counterfeit adventure and its inevitable end, degradation.
Jesus gave the most concise and detailed instruction regarding adventure, both the real and the counterfeit, in a story known as the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24). He described a young man demanding his inheritance, leaving his home environment, and spending his substance gratifying the material senses.
