Waiting

Have you ever been on a roller coaster? When it starts, you usually go around a curve and slowly up to the top. As you approach the crest of the hill, there's a moment or two just as you reach the peak that your heart is pounding and your stomach is in your throat because you know that the ride is going to be wild and crazy. . .and there's definitely no turning back.

I kind of felt like that today. Not because we signed up for any new or crazy adventure, instead, it was because I could see my family members getting struck by a sudden stomach flu one by one and I dreaded the thought of being sick. Fatigue from an interrupted night and a queasy stomach certainly added to my paranoia. I felt like I was on a ride I couldn't control and sooner or later I would succumb to the sickness. As the day carried on, I was torn between laying down and just letting it "hit me", or carrying on and doing all I could. I opted to carry on.

Oh how this parallels with life. So many times we feel overwhelmed with circumstances, fatigue, depression, sickness or grief. Just the thought of carrying on brings tears to our eyes. Subconsciously (or not), we are waiting for the other shoe to drop so we can succumb to or weakness. But wait, this is not what God intended! He has said that in our weakness, we are made strong, He has said He gives strength to the weary, He has said His grace is sufficient for us. We can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength.

There is no excuse. . .rats! I think what we fail to acknowledge is the need to carry on in HIS strength. Our strength in and of itself is rather pathetic, but with God's strength, look out!

Going back to the roller coaster, it's scary, it's fast, it can sometimes make you sick, but it's under control. What is even better, is when life feels like a roller coaster ride, you are not alone, God is right there with you, every step of the way, never letting you go!

For me, whatever tonight (or tomorrow) brings, I am choosing to trust God.