Roller Coasters
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Roller coasters. You either love them or you hate them. You know the routine. You stand in line. You wait. You get up to the front of the line. You have second thoughts. You get on. You call on Jesus, pray and do all that stuff, even if you don’t even pray on a regular basis. You take a deep breath. You take off. The screaming commences. You don’t really know what’s happening or where you’re going. You close your eyes, but they you open them because you want to see what’s going on. You go up… and up, and up, and up. You see it coming. You brace yourself. However, even after all of your bracing, you’re still not prepared. Down you go. Fast. You call Jesus again. Your face? Oh, you’ll see that as soon as you get off the ride. Plastered on a screen for all to see. Up and down, round and round you go. And then, just like that, it’s over.
Roller coasters. Here’s the thing, though. You can’t really be mad at a rollercoaster because you elected to ride it. You more than likely paid to ride it. You stood in line, you waited, you did all of that. The only time you really get mad about a rollercoaster ride is if it wasn’t enough of a ride or if the ride gave you whiplash or something. Other than that, you stumble off the ride and cringe when you see how horrible your face looked, and you go on with your day.
But what about those other roller coasters? The ones you DIDN’T pay for. The ones you DIDN’T sign up for. What about those? Those are the ones we’re going to talk about today.
If you’re not careful, you will find yourself on roller coasters you have no idea how you got on. Things will start off great, and then out of nowhere, the ups and downs will start. The twists and turns will start. The flips and switches will start – and you will find yourself in a state of confusion not understanding what is going on. And sometimes, just like a real rollercoaster, there is nothing you can do but ride it out.
I’m going to present you with to options. When you find yourself on a rollercoaster that you didn’t sign up for, you can either escape or endure. I Corinthians 10:13 (New Living Translation) puts it like this: “ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.“
Let’s talk about the escape first. God will always, always, ALWAYS show you a way out. Now keep in mind, that’s ALL God is gonna do. God isn’t going to go in there and get you and drag you out…. because God didn’t drag you in. God is going to SHOW YOU a way out so that YOU can get out. The way out is on God. The getting out is on you.
Your other option is to endure. Not to CONDONE, but to endure. Sometimes the only way off the ride is to make it to the end. And if that is the only option, God is going to give you grace (which is supernatural empowerment) to do so. Always know that.
When you find yourself on a roller coaster with someone, I can’t tell you which option to choose. But what I can tell you is that when you get off that roller coaster, don’t you get your behind back up there again. And if you do, you may as well just ride it out because you already knew what you were getting into when you got up there. No need to stop the ride this time. You already knew.
Sometimes, roller coasters with people are great. They’re beneficial. Business partnerships, relationships, all kinds of stuff. But when it’s not good for you, you already know what to do. Escape or endure. Simple as that.
Have an amazing day today. Show love to yourself AND others. Be GREAT! I speak life to you and everyone and everything connected to you! Catch me tomorrow!
XOXO,
Na’Kole ♥