Everyday Grace: You’re not alone on the roller coaster of life

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” Psalm 139:7-8 (NIV)

Last fall, Carowinds began construction on the new roller coaster, Fury 325. This is a monster of a coaster, a 325-foot drop with top speeds of close to 98 mph. The sheer scale of such a ride makes the once impressive Intimidator look like a kiddie coaster.

I love to ride roller coasters. My first real roller coaster was the Loch Ness Monster in Bush Gardens, Va. I’ve been a fan ever since.

There’s the anticipation that mounts with every ratchet sound of the carts being drawn up the first hill. I can only imagine how long it’s going to take to get to the top of Fury’s first hill. Then there’s that brief second as you feel the ratchet system disengage and gravity takes over pulling the cars back down to earth, while your stomach is left somewhere behind you. The ride has officially begun. You hang on for dear life, and other times you have both hands in the air screaming with joy. Sometimes you close your eyes, while other times you force yourself to keep them open to take it all in. Then you pull back into the station, breathless from the adrenalin rush, ready to do it again.

Forest Gump says “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” It’s also fitting to say life is like a roller coaster, full of ups and downs.

There are moments you are climbing and climbing, then the bottom appears to drop out. Sometimes you feel life is upside down and corkscrewing out of control. Sometimes you are laughing and screaming for joy, while others are trying to hang on. We wonder: “When is this crazy ride going to pull back into the station?”

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 139. It describes the mighty and powerful nature of God. Whether we find ourselves in the highest mountain or lowest valley, God is already there.

A lot of time we wish life would just be normal, easier, less volatile. We wish we could just park this ride and get off, but that’s not how life works. Jesus never promised things would be easy. He promised the opposite, and that’s a key reason for the underlying message of the Scriptures that God is with us. While life is full of ups and downs, flips, rolls and unexpected turns, we are reminded time and time again, we are not alone.

One of the fun parts about riding coasters is at some point along the path there is a camera that takes your picture. The pictures are hysterical, because they catch raw emotions. I’ll leave you with this image today. When your cart finally pulls back into the station and you see the snapshots of your life, you’ll be able to see Jesus has been beside you the entire time. While you were screaming and holding on for dear life, his hand was on yours and he was smiling with great joy at the ride you shared.

Take heart in knowing wherever you find yourself on this crazy ride of life, Jesus is right there with you.

This story was originally published April 9, 2015 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Everyday Grace: You’re not alone on the roller coaster of life."