CAROUSELS AND ROLLER COASTERS

Up and down, up and down or the other way around. It would be wonderful if life was never like that, but I know at least mine runs like that too often.

In that sense though even when it doesn’t have peaks and valleys the level domain might be easier traversing, but I never end up feeling I’m honestly making much progress even though the journey is easier. Thus during the times when I’m on some experiential carousel where I feel my life is going nowhere, but a circle I feel most incline to question the point of it all.

So I can’t way, which is truly better. To have to plod through some roller coaster experience where one season you wander a very long valley. It is where you end up feeling sorry for yourself or the rare occasions. Or when you make it to a euphoric mountain top and then live with the worry about how long it will last.

Are those a better state for a life of faith that the struggles that aren’t as demanding or taxing on the senses, but just don’t seem to have any point? Those are questions each person struggles with in his or her own way.

I’m sure there is also the abiding question too of why can’t we have it all? I’m speaking of a carousel ride that is pleasurable and meaningful, which also gives us a sense of purpose? Basically it is to question why does it seem God never makes things easy for us.

What makes it even more complicated is the times we seen somebody who does seem to have it easy. That doesn’t make our mood any better. It just gives us a reason to sit on that carousel and feel even more sorry for ourselves.

Routine thus is the fodder for carousel moments. We can also see where crisis and unexpected blessings the equation for roller coaster experiences. One thing we do know is that we can’t control any of them sufficiently to make sure they happen at our pace or desire.

There are those in the world that offer up various teachings to try and suggest we can find a path free of either type of experience. While it might or might not have merit in reality, what we do know is if we chose to follow the Lord, we will have a certain number of “tickets” in our lives for both experiences.

I’m not saying we are necessarily going to have a reason to look forward to such challenges. But they are points on the map of life, which can’t be avoided. No matter how long God grants us to live there is a chance that some distant destination of our experiences will bring us again to one of these tickets. Age doesn’t have a whole lot to do with such challenges and neither does how long one is a Christian. You don’t get any “eternal brownie” credits that exempts you from future moments.

Instead we can accept such moments. Rejoice that we are still in God’s will and grace and most of all look to see the scenery of insight that the Lord wishes our eyes to know from each ride.