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I can remember once when I was a boy,
our family went to an amusement park while visiting my
Grandma in Tennessee. My older brothers were riding all of
the big rides and I really wanted to get on one as well.
Finally, my Mom agreed to get on a mini roller coaster with
me. The ride operator started the ride out slow, but soon we
were going faster and faster, while my Mom’s face got whiter
and whiter, and she held my hand tighter and tighter.
Finally the ride started to slow down and we thought it was
just about over. Suddenly, however, we heard the operator’s
voice yell out, "Do you want to go backwards?" Sixty
teenagers screamed out "YES!" and a half a second later I
heard my Mom scream out "NO!!" as loud as all of them put
together.
I can sympathize with how my Mom felt.
A lot of times in this life I have wanted to stop this crazy
ride and just get off. The roller coaster has just kept
moving along, though, with twists and turns that made my
heart flutter and my face turn white. I used to think that
if I could just get everything right in my life then this
ride would smooth out and I would be happy. Yet, everyday
new problems, troubles, and frustrations would appear. There
was no getting ahead of them, no getting around them and no
off switch on the ride.
I finally realized one day that this
crazy, roller coaster ride was my life. There wasn’t going
to be any slowing down or smoothing out in the future. In
fact, there was every chance that I would end up going
backwards as well. The best that I could do then was to
choose love, joy, and oneness with God while I rode it. The
best that I could do was to laugh and enjoy the trip instead
of screaming my head off. The best that I could do was to
smile, take the frightened hands of those riding with me,
and trust in God to see us through every twist and turn this
ride might take. Life sure is one crazy ride. May all of you
enjoy every minute of it. |
