School is already back in session in some areas. WHAT? Isn’t is somewhere around June 1st and Summer is just beginning? Then again, the extremely hot season most of us in the States have experienced won’t allow us to deny that Summer has been in full swing for several months!

If I were to write the traditional “what-I-did-on-my-Summer-vacation” paper often assigned early in the school year, it would look something like this:

This Summer I rode the biggest roller coaster of my life! It was huge! It went way up, and then way down—and then it went back up again! There were twists and turns that made me wish I could jump off the “ride” right in the middle of it. There were people waiting in line and people standing around observing the ride that shouted, “Jump off the ride now! The next turn is too scary!”

And it was scary. So I hung on tighter. I was supposed to be on that ride, and if I were try to leave in the middle of it, pain and injury would be a certainty. Sometimes staying in the ride is actually safer than trying to run away from it!

But they kept shouting their warnings and their thoughts regarding how silly it was for me to be on this crazy ride. Some of them spoke softly and even took the time to whisper with kindness: “You would really do much better on another ride; a softer, more certain ride is the one you need to be on.”

Others were quite blunt in their opinions of the ride I was on: “What are you, CRAZY? That’s not the ride for you. I’ve been on other rides that are better. Now stop being stubborn and get down from there right this minute! You’re going to fall out or get injured sitting up there all by yourself going up and down and all around. I mean it. Don’t make me tell you again!”

But what they couldn’t see from the angle at which they were watching the ride was that I was not alone. In the seats all around me were my family members and some very dear friends who were there to keep me from jumping out, to prevent me from falling out, to keep me from giving up and to offer words of love and encouragement around every turn!

They reminded me often throughout the ride that the One Who had orchestrated my getting on this ride was also aware of what was at the top of each peak and at the bottom of each “drop.” They pointed me to the written words that guaranteed that He knew what was around every turn, and He was watching out for me by guiding me through them!

Those were the voices I chose to listen to. Those were the ones I gathered around me as I entered the ride, knowing that they would do exactly what they did—encourage me!

So in spite of its uncertainties, stomach-dropping moments and conflicting crowd noises, I’m grateful that I spent my summer “vacation” on the craziest roller coaster ride of my lifetime!

The God Who spoke these words many years ago to His chosen people is the same One Who provides His care for me today: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

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Thank you for taking time to read “The Ride of a Lifetime!” Please feel free to leave a comment!