Enjoy the Ride



"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love
God: those who are called according to His purpose." - Romans 8:28

Life is like a roller coaster ride. There are ups and downs, fast
parts and slow parts, twists and turns, fear and excitement. In life,
we ride this same roller coaster. One minute we are up, the next we are
down. One battle we win, the next we lose. It is one crazy ride.

Faith is no different. There are highs and lows, times of feeling
near and times of feeling far, times of excitement and times of
disappointment. However, when we ride the roller coaster of faith we
can trust that the ups and downs are "for the good." We can take our
hands off the safety bar knowing that whether we feel high or low, it
is for a purpose; His purpose. We can trust the ride because we can
trust the Creator of the ride. The Maker of the ride we are on is the
same One who created the universe. That's how big He is, and that's how
much we can trust Him.

If anyone knew about this roller coaster of faith it was Jesus'
disciples. Beginning as average men doing simple jobs, being called by
God's only Son to follow and learn from Him personally, seeing
miracles, seeing Jesus laughed at, being in the storms, seeing Him walk
on water, watching Him die and seeing Him rise again . . . talk about
emotional highs and emotional lows! One disciple, Peter, went from
total devotion to the point that he was willing to go to death for
Jesus, to denying that he even knew Him, to living his life in such a
way as to let nothing stop him from sharing Christ's story.

Those closest to Jesus experienced this roller coaster, as they grew
closer to Him. But still they were willing to go on His ride because
they knew they could trust Him. They knew whose ride they were on, and
they saw that it was better than their own. They saw the joy and
excitement that outweighed the trials and defeat. They trusted that His
purpose was greater than their own.

The twists and turns that may seem crazy to us can be enjoyed. We know
whose ride we are on, we know who has called us, we know He is
trustworthy, and we know He has purpose in both the ups and downs.
Knowing that, why not enjoy it? Why not throw your hands up in the air
and enjoy the ride?