Today I’ve been thinking about the various ups and downs of life and how our perception greatly changes our reaction and our experience.
My mind turned to one of my favorite things – riding on roller coasters. Since childhood, I have always loved the thrill and experience of speeding through the air on a roller coaster. I love the fast drops and the flips. As far as I am concerned, the higher and faster the better.
What makes roller coasters so amazing is that they are designed to give you an exhilarating feeling while still being totally and completely safe. While riding a coaster, you feel like you are careening out of control, but because you know that they are impeccably designed you can have confidence that you will return to the station rather than flying out of your seat. If you don’t have confidence that the ride is safe and that you will reach your destination, then your experience is likely going to be far more unpleasant or even terrifying. Maybe you won’t even get on the ride at all. And even if you do, you might miss out on all of the beautiful vistas and experiences.
I think this can be a really helpful analogy for our life. Life’s journey for all of us is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. Whether we like it or not, we will all be subjected to fast drops and unexpected flips. One day we will be at the top of a lift hill and the next day we will be dropped down seemingly all the way to the ground at 100 MPH. If we do not have confidence that our life is designed by an expert designer, then we are going to be terrified and fearful. We are going to constantly be afraid of crashing or losing control. We will have no confidence or assurance that we will make it to our destination.
On the other hand, if we recognize that the designer of our life (God) is a masterful and purposeful designer, then we will be able to trust in his design. Furthermore, we can know that this designer did not just create a ride and leave it for others to ride and maintain. Instead, he is personally involved in its maintenance and upkeep.
Furthermore, a good roller coaster designer does not let a rider slip out. In fact, a well designed ride ensures that safety mechanisms are in place to prevent someone from accidentally or deliberately loosening the harness and falling out. And we God, we can also know that if anything jeopardizes our ride, the designer will personally intervene and do whatever it takes to fix the problem. In fact, he will lay down his life for the riders to ensure our safe journey.
Paul put it best in Romans 8: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. … For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If we are in Christ Jesus, we can have assurance that all of the ups and downs of life will not cause us harm, but will ultimately be for our good. We can trust him, throw our hands up in submission, and enjoy the ride.
Boasting In Christ Alone 