Back in 2005/2006 I wrote a couple blog posts about faith, anticipation and waiting. Below you will find those posts, only slightly edited. They were written in the time following some major family heartbreak and not long before God would open up a brand new chapter of my life by moving me to DC. The truth God taught me then still resonates within me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blog 1
I love
roller coasters. I don't have any fear because I trust the engineers
and inspectors completely. I love the rush, the unexpected, the speed,
the adrenalin. Some time ago, God talked to me about roller coasters and
spiritual faith
I have complained that
the last couple years of my life have been a roller coaster. God told
me that if life is a roller coaster, then that makes Him the engineer. If I can trust a human engineer, literally with my life, and ENJOY
it, then why couldn't I do the same with Him? Long story short, I
should ride this roller coaster of life WITH JOY because I have total faith
in my God, the designer, inspector and operator of the ride.
When the
bottom seems to be falling out, I should throw up my hands and scream,
not in panic, but in excitement. When things are passing me by too fast
to control, I can know know that my course is set. Enjoy the ride. I need to
follow the directions (hands inside the car, stay seated, ie. the Bible) and the rest is pure joy.
This thought has been an ongoing process over several months and I've struggled with the specifics of walking in this faith. I finally stepped into the coaster and sat down, figuratively speaking, but nothing happened. The ride didn't start. No rush, nothing unexpected, no speed, no adrenalin. Did I miss something? God did want me to have faith and ride His roller coaster, right? So I waited. As I sat there, anticipation began to build. And kept building.
Finally, the coaster moved out a little bit and I can see some of the track ahead of me. Oh my. One sharp drop is... (the original post went on about my housing and job situations at the time. It was a scary time for me.)
This thought has been an ongoing process over several months and I've struggled with the specifics of walking in this faith. I finally stepped into the coaster and sat down, figuratively speaking, but nothing happened. The ride didn't start. No rush, nothing unexpected, no speed, no adrenalin. Did I miss something? God did want me to have faith and ride His roller coaster, right? So I waited. As I sat there, anticipation began to build. And kept building.
Finally, the coaster moved out a little bit and I can see some of the track ahead of me. Oh my. One sharp drop is... (the original post went on about my housing and job situations at the time. It was a scary time for me.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blog 2
Back in Dec I blogged about faith and roller coasters. I finally had time to grab my season pass and head over to Islands of Adventure in Orlando. The day was rainy and sad looking, but I watched the radar, jumped in the car and found myself in the King Kong level of the parking garage a little after 1pm. The rain was gone and so were any Saturday crowds. No ride had any more then a 15 minute wait. I headed over to Dueling Dragons (the coaster currently in Harry Potter World) Since the wait was only 10 minutes, I opted for the front row. I wanted this experience to be 100%.
Finally my turn came. While I waited I had been pondering what God had been teaching me about faith. I stepped into the car, buckled into my seat and the coaster started moving, pausing only for only a second at the top. Praying while riding a roller coaster is amazing. A bit difficult, but amazing. My main thought about 15 seconds into the ride was, "You have GOT to be kidding me God! This is what You mean?!?!" The ride wasn't anything unexpected. I've ridden this roller coaster dozens of times over the past 5 years. And I've been thinking and praying for months about the stuff I blogged about in Dec. But to actually be ON THE COASTER and think about the ride of faith God has in store for me.....it was intense.
I stumbled off the ride and back though the dark maze into the sunshine (my balance is a little off after a coaster.) Pondering the immenseness of what God has in store for me, I moved on to The Hulk. I waited again for the front row and listened to the people around me complain about how slow the line moved compared to the other lines. "Hello, it's worth it for the front row!" I say in my mind. That's when I hear God speak again, "And that's why your wait has been so long." Wow. Part of me wanted to find a quiet spot and fall on my face in His presence, but there was still a coaster to ride. I still had some waiting to do.
Back in Dec I blogged about faith and roller coasters. I finally had time to grab my season pass and head over to Islands of Adventure in Orlando. The day was rainy and sad looking, but I watched the radar, jumped in the car and found myself in the King Kong level of the parking garage a little after 1pm. The rain was gone and so were any Saturday crowds. No ride had any more then a 15 minute wait. I headed over to Dueling Dragons (the coaster currently in Harry Potter World) Since the wait was only 10 minutes, I opted for the front row. I wanted this experience to be 100%.
Finally my turn came. While I waited I had been pondering what God had been teaching me about faith. I stepped into the car, buckled into my seat and the coaster started moving, pausing only for only a second at the top. Praying while riding a roller coaster is amazing. A bit difficult, but amazing. My main thought about 15 seconds into the ride was, "You have GOT to be kidding me God! This is what You mean?!?!" The ride wasn't anything unexpected. I've ridden this roller coaster dozens of times over the past 5 years. And I've been thinking and praying for months about the stuff I blogged about in Dec. But to actually be ON THE COASTER and think about the ride of faith God has in store for me.....it was intense.
I stumbled off the ride and back though the dark maze into the sunshine (my balance is a little off after a coaster.) Pondering the immenseness of what God has in store for me, I moved on to The Hulk. I waited again for the front row and listened to the people around me complain about how slow the line moved compared to the other lines. "Hello, it's worth it for the front row!" I say in my mind. That's when I hear God speak again, "And that's why your wait has been so long." Wow. Part of me wanted to find a quiet spot and fall on my face in His presence, but there was still a coaster to ride. I still had some waiting to do.
It's going to be worth it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reading this again now blows my mind. The ride of faith God has taken me on has been amazing. So much is still in store. Have faith. He built the coaster.
"I waited again for the front row and listened to the people around me complain about how slow the line moved compared to the other lines. "Hello, it's worth it for the front row!" I say in my mind. That's when I hear God speak again, "And that's why your wait has been so long." "
ReplyDeleteMajor Wow!!!...Sometimes I have to remember I'm at work when I read these things and try not to burst into tears. But my heart is definitely shouting to the Lord, thank you for the post it speaks volumes to me today.
_Erin
Ah, the great adventure! Wheeeee! *covers eyes* Wheeee! *covers eyes again*
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I know the builder. :)