Hold on for Dear Life

   

    The following was written by my soon-to-be 16 year old daughter.

     Have you ever been on a ride and felt like you had to hold on for dear life, because you were afraid that you were going to fall off it? Maybe it was a literal roller coaster ride or maybe it was more metaphorical like a spiritual or emotional roller coaster. I personally have been on both and would like to share both of those stories with you.

     I first want to share the story of a literal fair ride that I rode when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I went to a fair with some family members and decided to go on a ride that took you upside down. The best way that I can describe the ride is that it was like a giant hamster wheel, and the long string of cars that all the people sat in was the like the hamster; and, of course, the ride took the "hamster" around and upside down in the "hamster wheel". I sat down in the seat, and a thin metal bar came down across my lap to secure me for the ride; and, yes, that thin metal bar was the ONLY thing securing me in that ride! I remember being a bit freaked out right before that ride started, knowing that was the only thing holding me in, but that small fear I felt, was nothing compared to the sheer terror I felt when I was hanging upside down at the top of the ride, realizing that my legs, which were braced against the small car I was in, were really what was holding me in that ride. I just remember screaming and praying the rest of that entire ride, that my legs wouldn't give out and that I would safely make it off that detestable ride. Once I was safely off the ride, I ran, completely shaken up, to my mom; and after I had relayed the whole story back to her, she then showed me a sign that was posted near the ride. It said that if you had trouble with your legs, you shouldn't go on that certain ride, because you had to use your legs in order to brace yourself! Honestly, to this day, I am still mind-boggled to think that people were actually allowed on that ride!

     Moving on to the next story I want to share with you. This metaphorical ride happened a few days ago. Just the other day, I was hit with a debilitating fear about my future. (Maybe you've been hit with a fear about your future too. Maybe it was a fear of going away to college or God calling you to a foreign mission field or never getting married or changing jobs or just a general fear of the future or something else.) This fear about my future, that hit me out of nowhere, was like nothing I had ever felt before. For two days, I flipped between having little snippets of peace and a type of fear and anxiety I'd never experienced. Interestingly enough, when all of this happened, my relationship with God was the strongest it had ever been; and when this fear came about, it caused me to be irritated with God. I felt like I couldn't even talk to Him or pick up my Bible, because when I did, I would have a sense of terror about it. After feeling so scared and helpless, I went to someone I knew I could trust and that I knew could give me some sound wisdom on the subject (at this point, my fear was pretty irrational and barely made sense). Once I explained everything I was wrestling with, and how anxious and scared I was, this person assured me that these feelings, restlessness and fear, that I was feeling, did not come from God.

     This person encouraged me to pick one of the names of God and think of him in that light. I decided on two, because they both pertain so well to my life right now. The first one is "Author of Life" which I thought was so fitting; because I was worried about my future, when I really don't have to be, since God already has it written out for me from beginning to end. The second one is "Prince of Peace," because he gives us "peace which passeth understanding" which is something that I definitely need to be reminded about.

     Finally, what I have learned is—life really is a roller coaster, and you really have to learn to hold on tight to God. I also saw these verses just today while reading my Bible, and I thought they went so well with everything I've written. They are a powerful tool to fight the kind of fear I have been feeling.

Proverbs 3:25&26 

Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation (trouble from) of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught). 

Parenthesis added to provide extra definition