On the rollercoaster, I found myself lifting my hands and screaming in pure enjoyment! Our trip to Disneyland earlier this summer included many rollercoaster rides and I found myself enjoying the thrill (Well, all but one but that is a different story! And is the “Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout” really classified as a rollercoaster anyway? I think not… anyway I digress).
Something is so freeing about riding a rollercoaster. Perhaps you find your thrill in a different way: Hang gliding, hiking, overlooks at the mountains, kayaking, etc… The truth of the matter is, life is meant to be lived and felt and while there was a time I could not tolerate the rollercoasters as well because of how my body was handling stress, now I can again and am thoroughly enjoying it.
As for a natural “adventure” I enjoy walking in the rain. No, it is not usually something I purposely seek out… but if an adventure was to be ruined because of a storm, I would rather be out in it experiencing it. Some of my best times and memories and magical moments of life have happened in storms. Something is so amazing about conquering/weathering the storm and the reward you find in the midst of it. Take our latest Estes Park trip as an example:
The radar said a storm was moving in hard and fast up in the mountains but we had just arrived and knew that at Sprague Lake, at night fall, and especially around a storm, is an optimum viewing time for the rare seen moose (and it is not too far of a walk from the safety of our parked car).
My oldest daughter and I hopped out of the car, donned our sweatshirts and umbrellas and even when the rain started to sprinkle, then pour, we continued our trek. We met up with my dad with his weatherproof lens on his camera and sure enough— we got to see the moose! 2 of them! It was majestic and wonderful. To top it off, on our walk back the sky was alight with the most beautiful double rainbow I have ever seen in my life! We were soaked and cold but that was definitely a moment that I felt fully alive.
God wants you to feel fully alive too. I know we like to be safe. I know we like to be comfortable. But sometimes when the storm comes, it is a time not to hunker away or worry away, but instead go out and face it. With God, we can make what was going to ruin the day into an adventure. If you need to hunker, know that that is fine too. I have gone through my own seasons of hunkering down and God is so good to bring us through to our adventure state once again.
The truth of the matter, whether rollercoasters and rainstorms, we have a chance to lay it all on the line. We can hunker away and worry or we can stand up and realize we are on this ride of life and we may as well enjoy it and make the best of it (All while trusting the Lord!).
I know for a lot of us life has not happened as we have planned. Perhaps a main friendship has gone awry, or our a marriage relationship is struggling, or our children have challenges or behavior or needs that seem too much for us to bear. Or it may be your job, family, social interactions, housing, finances. God wants us to know in this moment that we can fully trust in Him. We can quit the hunkering, list making, and worrying for a moment and lean into Him. He’s holding us safe through the rollercoaster. He’s shielding us through the storm.
He is the miracle worker and even when things in life seem to be going wrong, He is the one who causes what the enemy meant for evil to be turned around and used as good.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done.”
(Genesis 50:20, Joseph was talking to his brothers)
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10
God’s goodness and love is behind us, before us, all around us. His mercy, grace, kindness, love, faithfulness follow us all our lives.
There are plenty of ups and downs, all arounds, even lightening strikes nearby at times but He, in His goodness, stands beside us, holding us firm.
He beckons us, “Stop worrying and look to me. Trust me.”
Trust me.
It’s such an easy yet complicated thing isn’t it?
We don’t know what it is like to be able to trust fully… we have grown to learn that even those closest to us have not been perfectly trustworthy (what human is?). He is the only infallible One, He is the only truly faithful One.
We can take refuge in that fact, and whether it is a moment to hunker down with the truth of the matter and let it absorb in your heart or whether it is a moment to get on “the ride” and let His faithfulness be proved in your life— you can count on Him. You can lean on Him.
Here’s the verse that is quoted all the time, but please look again and let it sink into your soul:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
We make that our prayer today. Lord, we don’t know how to fully trust or lean on you. Our own thinking, the world, the scary challenges that arise— they try to cause us to look to ourselves for the answers instead of you. May we keep the channel of communication open with you and not allow anything to clog it up: unforgiveness, strife, anger, disappointment… but instead let you carry those things away as we trust in You. You are the trustworthy One. You are the only infallible One. We want to trust you more. Holy Spirit, would you come up beside each one of us today and show us the pathway to trusting our Lord Jesus more and more? We thank you for that. We also thank you for the adventure of life and how we can know, with you, God, we can throw our hands up, smile, and adventure out because of your faithful love towards us. Amen.
Friend, may you be blessed this week with His presence as He shows you how to trust Him more. May your heart be opened to hearing and receiving and doing what He shows you. His path may not look safe (remember the C.S. Lewis quote? “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course Aslan isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King”) but because of the trustworthy One on our side we will adventure out and see the miracles even in the midst of what feels like mayhem. May your trust go down deeper than ever before, on the solid rock of God and His word, and may you adventure out like never before.
Until next time,
PS. Here’s some of the shots of our “adventuring out” whether it was the rollercoasters at Disney or the stormy hike at Estes. Looking forward to more spiritual and physical adventures with Jesus by our sides!
Melanie Talevski 