Hands in the Air

There are two kinds of people you can choose to be: the one on the rollercoaster holding on white-knuckled to the restraint bar, or the one screaming with his hands in the air having a great time. The choice is up to you…

     It’s a good thing God doesn’t tell you in advance the plans He has for your future. If He dared let us in on all the chaos we’d often face, we’d never take the risks necessary to move forward.

     Thankfully, ignorance is bliss.

     This morning I dropped my little girls off at school. A young mother admires my beautiful daughters:

     “They’re so adorbs!” (seriously, she said that) “Do you have any other grandchildren?”

     For the record, I’m in my fifties and these are my daughters, not grandchildren. I smiled at the mom and said, “Well, bless your heart” as I walked away. 

     Full disclosure: when a southerner says, “Bless your heart”, that’s just a nice way of saying “what an idiot!”. Don’t act so surprised. You know those Chick-Fil-A workers aren’t really saying, “My pleasure” for the one millionth time!

     Right now, I’m catching up quickly on how to be a parent again. I’ve now learned the fine art of taking a shower with my back turned while little girls show up unannounced in my bathroom. Being a parent gradually strips you of any personal dignity or privacy issues. 

     I thought my 50s would be my empty nest years, but God had something completely different planned. I now believe His plan has saved me from a rather selfish, boring life. It’s not the life I expected or would have chosen, but its an adventure I wouldn’t give up now for the world.

     One reason God doesn’t tell us the future is our tendency is to play it safe. We look for the easiest, most comfortable route through life, and think that will make us happy… 

…never mind that our security is only an illusion

…forget the fact we have no idea what will truly bring us joy

     God knows if we got our way, we’d pass up the rollercoaster for the spinning tea cup ride. And the most exciting thing on the spinning tea cup is when some kid throws up his cotton candy. At least it’s colorful!

     But God is intent on steering us away from the tea cups and onto that rollercoaster. He doesn’t want us to settle for safe. He can’t stand the look of disappointment in his kids’ eyes when they come to the end of the ride and ask, “Is that all there is?”

     God is trying to tell you a secret about life, if you’ll listen. He knows that everything good in life demands risk. And without risk, no faith is needed. And “without faith, it’s impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). 

     I’m convinced God is less like the grumpy grandfather many paint Him to be. He’s more like that crazy friend of yours daring you to join Him on some adventure. So He’ll constantly be dragging you onto one wild ride after another…if you’re really following Him.

     The rollercoaster is your life: the dreadful anticipation going up to the summit, the sudden turns around curves you don’t see coming, the ups and downs. Though you may hope for the tea cups, God is going to drag you onto that rollercoaster whether you like it or not. But that because it’s were all the fun is! He hates the thought of you settling for less.

     But one thing He won’t force you to do is enjoy the ride. That’s up to you.

     You’ve seen those two people on the rollercoaster before. There’s the one who’s screaming and laughing around every turn, hands in the air. Then there’s the other one in the seat right behind him, holding on white-knuckled and just praying it’ll all be over soon. 

     Trust me, you’re going to be on that rollercoaster either way. But it’s your choice whether you enjoy it or not.

     Have you ever noticed the white-knuckled guy usually resents the hands-in-the-air guy? He hates it every time he screams out in exhiliration. That’s one of the results from playing it too safe: you start to resent the people having fun. We not only don’t enjoy the ride, we hate it when other people do. 

     I believe those people break the heart of God. They resist every adventure God takes them on, and try to ruin it for the others.

     One thing I’ve learned about the white-knuckled people is that, if you can’t help them loosen up, you have to ignore them. They may be family members of yours, or perhaps close friends. Their disapproval tempts you to play defense, and they make you feel foolish for taking the risks God sends to bless you. They say you’re being irresponsible if you don’t join them and live in fear.

     All the while, your crazy friend God is reaching out to you, a big grin across His facing, saying, “Doesn’t this next ride look awesome? Come on!”

     I’ve noticed the ones who really have faith seem to let go and enjoy the ride more. A heart of faith tells you the ride is going to end in a safe place, no matter how bumpy it gets. So to enjoy the ride, you’ve got to trust that this Friend of ours will take you on to the next adventure once this ride we’re on is over. 

     In Philippians 1:6, The Apostle Paul puts it this way: 

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

     So if you have that kind of confidence in God, you trust that the ups and downs in your life are part of a plan that will one day come to completion. You know where the rollercoaster is going to end up, and you trust God to get you there.

     For my wife and me, we decided against the tea cups and jumped back on another roller coaster with these little girls. And it’s been the best decision of our lives. We now have the joy of living daily with fairy princesses. Watching their eyes light up as we blow bubbles in the backyard is more entertaining than all the cruise ships our empty-nest friends are on now.

     When you start taking risks on purpose, for a good purpose, you find your true purpose. And when you throw your hands in the air, you find that one thing we’re all reaching for…

     Joy. Exhilarating  joy. Unexplainable, uncontainable, immeasurable joy! 

     What about you? It’s no coincidence you’re reading this. God’s trying to flag you down. Your crazy Friend has another great adventure He wants to drag you along on.

     That ride will be scary at times, for sure. But resist the urge to hold onto the restraint bar.

     Take it from me: lift your hands high into the air and let out a scream sure to irritate the ones holding on for dear life. Then enjoy the ride, wherever it takes you.