Jesus offers his followers an adventurous life. An adventure that invites us to move through the tough stuff and away from avoidance.

Lie: Life isn’t supposed to be like this.

Truth: There is always going to be stuff.

Lie: I’m stuck and there is no way out.

Truth: God always offers a plan.

Lie: There is nothing I can do; it’s not my fault.

Truth: We always make choices.

When we are faced with stuff, we have a decision to stay where we are or to deal with it and move forward.

We miss out on seeing God move in our lives when we avoid the stuff instead of dealing with it.

Moving from “If only they” to “If only I” is called “ownership.”

What’s your one thing? _______________________________________

Big Idea: When we see life's stuff as an opportunity to grow in our relationship with God, we have the ability to turn life’s ups and downs into a great adventure with him.

Celebrate and Care:

Have each person share a high and low from this last week.

Open Up:

What’s an adventure or journey you went on where others might have had a different experience than you?

Discuss:

Choose one or two questions for your group to discuss as time allows.

- Share a story of a time when you, or someone you know, chose to see the stuff of life as an opportunity to grow in relationship with God.

- Take a look at the three lies. Choose the one you think it most prominent in today’s world and share why you chose it.

- Which truth fits with the lie you chose? How does that truth debunk that lie?

- How can people fight against the “If only they...” mentality?

Engage:

Spend 1-2 minutes in silence with these questions then share your thoughts.

What is the “one thing” you thought of when the question was asked?

What truth do you need embrace to move forward?

What is the next step you need to take?