Finding Neverland

As children, we used to watch Peter Pan in awe and wonder as Wendy and her brothers flew out the window with Peter Pan. They did so in the hope of” Finding Neverland,” this magical place where Peter Pan told them you never had to grow up.

Considering all our constraints and responsibilities, the idea of such a place is still intriguing.

 “Finding Neverland” is a metaphor for escaping life's difficulties.

I know in my own life growing up, we did this through drugs and alcohol. As I consider those things today, I can see that I did so to escape my reality. I was searching for Neverland or a place where I could escape all the dysfunction and difficulty my siblings and I experienced growing up.

These lifestyle choices led to other dysfunction and difficulties and culminated with me dropping out of school and joining the Navy.

I was not “Finding Neverland” no matter where I looked.

This is because Neverland does not exist. There is no place we can go to escape our reality. It took me a long time to accept this truth. When I did, I began to embrace my reality.

Though each person's experience differs, we are all searching for something. I believe that something we are searching for is significance and meaning.

If we are not careful, this search may lead us to become something we are not. This often occurs as we compromise our principles and convictions to feel like we belong or are a part of something.

If you have read the Peter Pan story, you will see that Neverland is where you can be accepted just as you are. No one tells you what to do or when to do it. This is the ultimate freedom that rings true for most of us.

Interestingly, in the hope of “Finding Neverland,” you must leave everything you know and love behind.

I often reminisce about the past and days gone by. When I do, I wonder what life might have been like had I done things differently. Then I realize that if I had done things differently, I would not be who I am now.

This does not mean I don’t need to improve, have regrets, or have times I would rather have avoided. It means I understand how blessed I am and how blessed I have been my entire life.

Though I have not walked in anyone else's shoes, I have walked a road filled with potholes, obstacles, and obstructions I wish I could have avoided.

The beauty is that all these moments helped create who I am today.

The choice to see life this way is ours because the reality of “Finding Neverland” or any other place to escape your past is naive.

This is true because we carry our past with us. However, we do not have to allow our past to define us. Instead, we can look back and learn to hope for a better tomorrow.

Remember, freedom cannot be found in Neverland or anywhere else. Freedom will be found when we see that where we are is where we were supposed to be all along!

Psalm 37:3-4, Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”