We’re getting ready to take the grandkids to an amusement park in a little while. For me a “must-do” is the roller coaster. However, I realize that everybody doesn’t share my enthusiasm. Once we were just coming into the gate after the usual screaming twists and drops, when the man on the controls looked at us, grinned, and said, “Oh, why not?” as he pushed the lever to send us off for another ride. The woman behind us was not at all pleased with his generosity and began to scream, “NOOOO!” Having survived it once, she wasn’t at all excited about doing it again.
Not long ago my husband and I found ourselves in a life experience that felt much like a roller coaster ride with unexpected twists and turns and sudden drops that took our breath away. It was with tremendous relief that we realized we were approaching the exit when suddenly we were off for a second ride. I felt much like that woman as I screamed out to God, “NOOOO!”
It was during that time that the Lord lovingly taught me some truths about roller coasters. Every twist and turn, every sudden drop, has been carefully designed by an expert. The carts run on tracks that have been engineered for a safe, though perhaps frightening, ride. The drops are never too steep, and the turns will never actually send us over the edge. What seems like an out-of-control ride is actually well-planned with the safety of the rider in mind. And, best of all, it is designed to come to a end. A roller coaster ride never lasts forever (a realization lost on the woman behind us) – even if it is the second time around.
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