Reflection

The past two weeks have been a bit of a trying, yet enjoyable, time for me. There have been times when I have experience very high levels of stress and others when I have experience high levels of pleasure. If I had to sum it up, I would say it was like a wild roller coaster ride.

This summer my grandmother and great-grandmother passed away. After dealing with such great loss, my husband and I had decided that we needed to take a few days to get away. We took our kids to Hershey Park for one weekend. I must say, it was a needed mini vacation.

While there another family member and I, both having a small baby and had being under a lot of stress, decided to get on one of the most extreme rides at the park. It was about 20 minutes before the park was set to close, but we had been saying all day that we were going to get on one of those crazy rides.

It was dark and this ride was at the back corner of the park. We watched as a group of young people ran to the stairs ahead of us. In a moment of sheer excitement, we speed walked to the stairs. Once we got there we realized that we were about to do something very extreme.

Plastered all over the bright-colored walls were warning signs about what to and what not to do. This was different because other rides didn’t have this. The signs told us things like hold on, hold your head back, and keep your arms in. As I stood second in line, I looked away from a sign to see a man getting strapped in the seat. We begin to talk with a woman who was going on the ride for a second time. As she told us how fast it went, the ride took of and I could feel my nerves telling me not to try it. Before she could get to say three sentences and I could get to calm down, the man was back. That’s right it was a matter of seconds, or so it seemed.

Filled with adrenalin, I climbed into the seat. As I struggled to pull the harness down, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I looked over at my partner in the crazy endeavor and nervously smiled. Looking up at the caution signs, I held my head back and tried to remember what to and what not to do. I could hear my kids and my husband cheering me on…nervously I smiled. Then suddenly the ride took off.

I was slung through the air like a sling shot. All I would do was close my eyes and scream. I opened my eyes for a second and we were upside down. I closed them back and gripped the harness as I tried to keep my head pulled back. Up, down, and around I went, but before I could get my barring, the ride was over and I was laughing. Yes laughing. I could not believe what had just happened. What was I feeling? Well, really, what had I felt? It was over.

Full of the rush, we ran down the stairs as my husband looked at up puzzled at to how it was over so soon. He had just sat down to change the baby’s diaper and had not finished, but we were done.

That’s how life feels right now. A 72 mile per hour ride in just 2 seconds. There is no time to lolly gag. It’s either I’m with it or I’m not. I’ve been given such great opportunities, but I realize that if I’m not careful, time will fly by and I would have missed the experience and opportunity. That’s why I have given myself some ground rules.

It’s either I can or I can’t, no in betweens. I have to commit myself. If I find that I can’t complete the task in a certain about of time, then it’s time to pick up the pieces that I’ve dropped and move on. I have to hold on to the harness and enjoy the ride.

I don’t have time to strive aimlessly at achieving goals that don’t fit into my life plan or the path that God has laid before me. I will not take on more what I can not bear and somethings have to be cancelled.

I must admit, there are times when I’m afraid.  There are moments when I’m intimidated, but God is greater that all of my emotions.  I am in my new season, full of excitement and adrenaline. I’m nervous and last night I wanted to quit. Yet I can hear the Holy Spirit encouraging me and I have to continue to move forward. There is a lot to do and a lot of ground to cover, but like the ride, I am equipped to do the unthinkable as long as God is with me.