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Living Life Like a “Wild Goose Chase”: An Adventure in Faith

Have you ever felt like you were made for more, like life was supposed to be an adventure? The kind where each day feels alive with purpose, but instead, you find yourself stuck in the mundane? Mark Batterson’s concept of a wild goose chase is a powerful metaphor for what life looks like when we pursue the untamed, unpredictable calling of the Holy Spirit.

Unlike the predictability many of us gravitate toward, living life like a wild goose chase is all about embracing the air of unpredictability and the adventure that comes with following the Spirit of God. But what does it mean to live this way? Let’s explore how a life rooted in faith and adventure aligns with the wild nature of the Holy Spirit and why it’s worth chasing.

Let’s Define Wild Goose Chase

The term Wild Goose Chase, derived from the Celtic Christians who referred to the Holy Spirit as “An Geadh-Glas” (meaning “Wild Goose”), captures the untamable and uncontrollable nature of God’s calling. Unlike a literal wild goose chase, which can seem futile or chaotic, this spiritual pursuit is purposeful, full of divine detours, risks, and uncertainties. 

It calls believers to break free from the “cages” of routine, fear, and comfort, and embrace a life led by the Holy Spirit, filled with faith-driven adventures that align with God’s plan. While the journey may appear disordered and risky from a worldly perspective, it leads to profound personal and spiritual growth, deep fulfillment, and a closer relationship with God.

I love the term that Batterson uses of “uncaged Christians”. We’re held back by fear, the cage of routine, or the comfort of the known. We avoid risk and settle for the safety of the cage instead of venturing into the unknown, where the will of God calls us.

Maybe it’s because I grew up on in the belt buckle of the Bible belt, but I know far too many people that choose to live the caged Christian life. There is nothing wrong with this on the surface. In fact, there is less worry, doubt, fear, risk, etc. 

However, what there is a lot more of is the normal, boring Christian life complete with calendars filled with everything that you’re supposed to do as a Christian. Church three times per week. Never missing a Sunday sermon for any reason. Private school to shield your kids from the “public school kids”. 

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with any of this. However, this type of life chooses to run away from the things you don’t want rather than towards the things you do. 

The Comfort of the Cage and the Pursuit of God

As A.W. Tozer once said, the pursuit of God is the greatest calling a person can have. But pursuing God isn’t about comfort—it’s about embracing the unknown. Many of us find ourselves stuck in the predictability of the cage, where routines and daily life rob us of the deeper spiritual journey God has for us.

Mark Batterson calls these barriers cages, and they can take many forms: the cage of routine, the cage of fear, and even the cage of comfort. In these cages, we experience spiritual paralysis—unable to move forward in our calling because we’re too scared to let go of the security we’ve built around ourselves. But our natural habitat as believers is the wild, unpredictable adventure of faith, where the Spirit of God leads and calls us out into the unknown.

Why Is This So Uncomfortable?

Being “uncaged” is like a wild animal that has been kept in a zoo exhibit it’s entire life. People pay money to stand behind some bars and point so their kids can see. There may be a few trees and bushes with a water feature to imitate the wild, but it’s not the true wild. It’s a very secure environment where you are fed multiple times per day, there is no danger of another species or predator killing you and the weather is always perfect inside your exhibit. 

​It is only when that animal is introduced to the wild that they begin to fulfill the essence of what they were created for. 

We are the same way. However, we have been in the exhibit for far too long. We’ve been catered to by our families, our jobs, and our socioeconomic status that we simply don’t have any desire to possibly sacrifice any of the comforts of our lives for the sake of the adventure that is waiting for us on the the side. 

The Spirit of God and Divine Adventure: Embracing Divine Detours

In the title of the Book of Acts, we see the kind of wild journey that happens when people allow the work of God to shape their lives. There’s no linear path, just a series of unexpected turns and divine detours that lead to greater things.

When we surrender our plans to the Spirit of God, we open ourselves to these detours. They may not make sense in the moment, but over time, we see how they fit into a larger spiritual journey. For example, Batterson tells the story of chasing a lion on a snowy day—an analogy for facing fears and embracing risk. It’s a reminder that the life God calls us to isn’t always safe or predictable, but it is deeply fulfilling.

Our Journey

Our family’s story is one of divine detours. Lots of them. 

If you’re not familiar with our story, we took so many detours over a 3 year period that we ended up back in the same place we started! Now, our detours just happened to involve new cities and countries, but detours can be job changes, house changes, relationship altering, and so many more things. They can be big or small, short or long. Detours are simply just those things that you hadn’t really planned to happen. 

When we left Lubbock in summer of 2021, we had no idea where we were going to end up. We assumed we’d end up back in Lubbock. However, our journey took us to through the American West in an RV, down to Central America for 4 months in Guatemala, then back up north to the beautiful state of Colorado. It was only in June of 2023 that we decided to move back to Texas. 

The detours God took us on all had their specific purpose in our story. We did not know why at the time. In fact, we still don’t fully understand why we were taken all over the map for that season. It may have been nothing more than the adventures! Or, maybe there was something in each of those places that we learned that will come into play down the road. 

The point is that we elected to follow God wherever he called us to go. 

One of my favorite phrases is the following. I believe this epitomizes the call of the adventurous Christian. 

We are willing to go wherever He calls with whomever he calls doing whatever is called for however long we’re called for. 

Why the Holy Spirit Calls Us to Risk: The Untamed Part of Us Longs for Adventure

At the core of each of us is an untamed part that longs for risk and adventure. This is because we are created in the image of an untamed God. The Holy Spirit, with His air of unpredictability, leads us into these adventures that stir up something deep inside us—the part that is meant to chase after the good news and make a lasting kind of impact on the world.

Whether you’re a young adult or someone further along in life, the chase remains the same. We are all part of a new generation of believers called to live out our faith with boldness and bravery, led by the most important voice—God’s.

Breaking Free from Spiritual Paralysis: What it Means to Live Free

To chase the wild goose is to embrace an adventure that goes beyond the comfortable and into the unknown. This isn’t just about adding excitement to life—it’s about fulfilling our God-given purpose. The more we cling to the pursuit of God, the more we leave behind the cages that hold us back.

The problem is that we often fall into what Mark Batterson calls “spiritual paralysis.” We know there’s more for us, but we don’t move. We’re caged by fear, the safety of the cage, or uncertainty. The Holy Spirit is calling us to break free, to go on a wild goose chase that leads to incredible adventures and encounters with the work of God.

So How Do We Do This? 

This is what we’re after, right? We just want to know how to get out of the mundane and pursue adventure to truly live that life of freedom. 

Well, fortunately I can’t stand articles that just say, “pray about it”. I love prayer. And I think if that’s all you did it would work. I just want to provide a little more actionable insight than that!

So, here is a list of how you can begin to live the uncaged Christian life. 

• Start Your Day with Surrender: Begin each morning by praying for the Holy Spirit to guide your steps and lead you into unexpected opportunities.
• Take Small Risks Daily: Do something every day that challenges your comfort zone—whether it’s striking up a conversation with a stranger or trying a new activity.
• Say Yes More Often: When new opportunities arise, resist the urge to say no out of fear or routine. Embrace the unknown by saying yes to things that align with your faith journey.
• Act on Promptings from the Holy Spirit: Be sensitive to the nudges and whispers of the Holy Spirit. When you feel called to do something, follow through without hesitation, even if it doesn’t seem logical.
• Let Go of Over-Planning: While planning is important, learn to leave room for the unexpected. Be flexible with your schedule, allowing God to interrupt your plans for something better.
• Pursue New Adventures: Intentionally seek out new experiences that stir your spirit—whether it’s traveling to a new place, volunteering for a mission trip, or trying a new hobby.
• Trust in Divine Detours: When your plans don’t go the way you expected, trust that God’s detours have a purpose. Reflect on how past detours have shaped your faith journey.
• Surround Yourself with Adventurous Christians: Build a community of like-minded believers who are also chasing after the wild calling of the Spirit. Encourage each other to take risks and step into the unknown.
• Embrace Uncertainty: Learn to be comfortable with not having all the answers. Allow uncertainty to push you closer to God and trust that He is leading the way.
• Practice Bold Faith: Take bold steps of faith in areas like your career, relationships, or ministry. Don’t be afraid to dream big and trust that God can accomplish what seems impossible.
• Keep a Prayer Journal: Document the wild goose chase by writing down the risks you’ve taken, the unexpected turns, and the ways God has moved in your life. Reflect on how far you’ve come.
• Give Up Something Comfortable: Identify something in your life that keeps you in your comfort zone and consider giving it up for a season. This could be anything from limiting social media to simplifying your lifestyle.
• Volunteer in New Areas: Find a cause or ministry that you haven’t been involved in before and commit to serving there. Stepping into unfamiliar environments can open doors to new spiritual growth.
• Be Willing to Move: Whether it’s physically moving to a new location or just changing the way you live in your current environment, be open to relocation or shifts that God may lead you to.
• Pursue Growth in Your Faith: Engage in activities that deepen your spiritual growth, such as attending a retreat, joining a Bible study, or reading books that challenge and inspire you to go deeper in your faith.

The Role of Faith: Trusting God in the Pursuit of God

The real adventure is trusting in God’s leading, even when it feels like we’re chasing something elusive. The journey itself—filled with divine detours and risks—is where we grow and encounter Him in unexpected ways. Our faith isn’t meant to be stagnant, but a moving, breathing pursuit that embraces the wild, adventurous nature of the Holy Spirit.

Faith-filled adventure often means stepping into unknown territories, just like the apostles in the Book of Acts. They didn’t have a clear roadmap, but they trusted the Spirit of God to lead them. We are called to that same trust and boldness, leaving behind the cage of routine and stepping into the wild adventure of following God.

Practical Steps to Start Your Own Wild Goose Chase

• Embrace the unpredictable: Allow the Spirit of God to disrupt your plans and lead you into new, unexpected opportunities. One thing that humans are really bad at is choosing to do things where they cannot control the outcome. We’re just not wire that way. By embracing the unpredictable nature of of God’s calling, we begin to understand that we may actually fail in the short-term. However, over the long haul, things will work out in a way we never could have dreamed.  
• Take risks: Follow in the footsteps of the apostles in the Book of Acts by being willing to venture into unknown territory. What is the frontier of your life? Where can you become a pioneer? Have all the trails been blazed? Probably not. Choose to take risks. Step beyond your bubble and your circles and venture our into the unknown. Be willing to screw up. 
• Listen to the Holy Spirit: As the Celtic Christians did, trust the Holy Spirit to guide you with an air of unpredictability. Here is some good news for you. The Holy Spirit is never wrong. That’s right. He never tells you something wrong. If he tells you to do something, you can do it with full faith knowing that is the Spirit is wrong, then the entire Bible is a fallacy. 
• Break free from spiritual paralysis: Identify the “cages” in your life—whether it’s routine, fear, or comfort—and begin taking small steps toward freedom. What holds you back? Likely it’s fear. Fear from what or fear of what? Are you afraid of leaving your comfort zone? Or are you afraid of what may be waiting for you on the other side? Identify what these cages are and begin taking steps toward removing them from your life.

Conclusion to The Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

As we’ve discussed in this post, a wild goose chase of a life is not something that most Christians are willing to take on. That’s fine. 

We cannot concern ourselves with those that desire comfort, security and the calm Christian life. However, if we are truly desiring to take on the call of the Holy Spirit and fulfill the purposes that God has for us, we have to change our view of risk, adventure and freedom. 

Living this way will lead to pain, loss, failure and risk. It will also lead to adventure, freedom, joy and beauty. 

Join Our Community: The Ascent

Are you ready to embark on your own wild goose chase? Join our community, The Ascent, where we pursue a life of adventure, faith, and risk together. Receive weekly inspiration, practical advice, and the encouragement you need to break free from the ordinary and step into the extraordinary life God has for you. Sign up today and take the first step in your adventure!

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