Here are some thoughts of mine. I don't claim to be a poet or a writer of any sort, so don't expect much. :) Just click on one that sounds interesting and enjoy!
| This Day | Directions | You are Here | Artist | |
| Rollercoaster | Hardwood Floors | Everyday Graces | Sequel to the Lorax | |
| A Poem | Two Birds |
“For as high as the heavens are above the
earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him…”
Psalm 103:12
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
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Anyone who knows me remotely well probably knows that I have deep love of roller coasters. The bigger and faster and wilder they are, the better. Every summer I try to make it to an amusement park to ride one or two. Since home for me in the States is Iowa, and Iowa is not well known for its roller coasters, I have to do some travel to get to one, so it’s a big deal when I finally get there. I feel the excitement build as me and the person I am traveling with get closer and closer…and then we pull into the parking lot of the park and I spot the roller coasters…and in my mind, I make a mental note of which ones I just have to ride.
Now, follow me on this journey, if you will. I finally get to the park that I have planned and saved and hoped for all year long. When I go in, there are several options available. Anything from the kiddie roller coaster with its small hills and wide curves to the monster coaster on the other side of the park that has many inversions and sharp winding curves that leave your head spinning…with dips so fast that you are literally weightless as you plunge down them.
So I go get in line for the kiddie roller coaster. As I get on the little train that is going to take me for a ride, I look over at the monster coaster across the park that I can see even over the ferris wheel and other such rides. It appears to be a long walk to that other coaster and it is SOO wild. So I seatbelt myself into the kiddie roller coaster and we are off. The speed is not so great. And the hills and curves are also not so impressive. Still in my mind, I figure that this is safer and doesn’t require so much of me. As the ride comes to an end, I get off the train and go get in line for it again. And again. And again.
My friend with whom I have come to the park sees me getting in line again and again. He knows that I love roller coasters and is puzzled as to my behaviour. So he asks me “Sara, what are you doing? Why are you on this kiddie roller coaster? And why do you keep riding it when you aren’t even enjoying it? You love roller coasters. You are passionate about them. Come on!”
I stop in my tracks and look at him. I know that if I go with him, he is going to lead me to that monster rollercoaster that requires so much more. So I hesitate. And I get in line once more for the kiddie roller coaster. My friend will not get in line with me for this roller coaster, for he also loves the monster coasters. However, he wants to ride the big coaster with me. So he sits sadly outside of the kiddie coaster and just waits for me. I look over at him when I come through one of the wide curves and he sadly smiles at me. In my heart, I know the right thing to do is to walk across the park with him and get on the monster. But in my mind there is a battle…the walk appears to be so long to get across the park and this kiddie roller coaster, whereas not being the most fun, has its perks…it does not require me to face any fear or have any deep feelings of any sort. And then the thought comes to mind, neither does it cause any joy.
When the train stops, I get off and go find my friend. He asks if I have been having a good time to which I hastily reply no. So again he asks me if I will walk with him to the other side of the park and get on the monster coaster with him. This time I agree. I tell him of my fear and he assures me that it will be well worth it. My friend knows my heart…he knows the passion that resides therein and he knows how to satisfy that passion.
As we walk to the monster, we talk…and before I know it, we are there. What I figured would be a horribly long walk in the summer sun was nothing but a few steps really. We get in line for the monster. It is a relatively short line compared to the kiddie rollercoaster or some of the other smaller coasters. As we get to the front of the line, my mind begins to fill with all of these thoughts that are horribly contradictory to one another. On one hand I feel the rush of excitement as we start this ride…knowing that it is going to be full of deep depths and high speed and great heights and turns and loops. And on the other hand, I feel a sense of dread…what if I get half way through and can’t do it anymore? What if they have to stop the ride for me and let me off? What if the coaster falls off the tracks?
Again, my friend assures me that this will be the most amazing ride of my life. I trust him and want to please him, so we get on and buckle ourselves in. As the train starts its first ascent to the top where it will immediately drop us and go into a corkscrew curve I let myself be overtaken with the rush of excitement. My friend is next to me, laughing and screaming with me as we go. There are times when I think I can’t handle another drop or I wish it would just slow down, but I take one look at my friend and realize that its all ok.
When the train stops, I thank my friend for inviting me on the ride and for talking me into it. What an experience.
In my life, this is a picture of how I have been living and what God has called me to. I have been on the kiddie rollercoaster of love. I have not received love or lived in love that Christ offers. Christ’s love is much more like the monster coaster in all its depths and heights. The friend on the coaster with me is two part. In one sense, it was Jesus inviting me along to experience His love and all its passion. He truly knows my heart and all the passions that lie within it. He speaks to me in ways that I can understand and stays with me, He never leaves nor forsakes me. The other part is any friend in my life who has been my “love with skin on” who has challenged me to love with reckless abandon. They have challenged me to experience God’s love on a deeper level…to let go of what this world offers and just let God’s love sweep over me and live in that.
By riding this kiddie coaster I have tried to put all the passions that God has given me into a box…a box that they were not meant for. God means for us to be all that He has created us to be. And he surrounds us with people to bring that out in us. He enables us to love with a fierce love and makes us stand in awe of how much He loves us. What an amazing and beautiful God we have.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present not the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
______________________________________________
Anyone who knows me remotely well probably knows that I have deep love of roller coasters. The bigger and faster and wilder they are, the better. Every summer I try to make it to an amusement park to ride one or two. Since home for me in the States is Iowa, and Iowa is not well known for its roller coasters, I have to do some travel to get to one, so it’s a big deal when I finally get there. I feel the excitement build as me and the person I am traveling with get closer and closer…and then we pull into the parking lot of the park and I spot the roller coasters…and in my mind, I make a mental note of which ones I just have to ride.
Now, follow me on this journey, if you will. I finally get to the park that I have planned and saved and hoped for all year long. When I go in, there are several options available. Anything from the kiddie roller coaster with its small hills and wide curves to the monster coaster on the other side of the park that has many inversions and sharp winding curves that leave your head spinning…with dips so fast that you are literally weightless as you plunge down them.
So I go get in line for the kiddie roller coaster. As I get on the little train that is going to take me for a ride, I look over at the monster coaster across the park that I can see even over the ferris wheel and other such rides. It appears to be a long walk to that other coaster and it is SOO wild. So I seatbelt myself into the kiddie roller coaster and we are off. The speed is not so great. And the hills and curves are also not so impressive. Still in my mind, I figure that this is safer and doesn’t require so much of me. As the ride comes to an end, I get off the train and go get in line for it again. And again. And again.
My friend with whom I have come to the park sees me getting in line again and again. He knows that I love roller coasters and is puzzled as to my behaviour. So he asks me “Sara, what are you doing? Why are you on this kiddie roller coaster? And why do you keep riding it when you aren’t even enjoying it? You love roller coasters. You are passionate about them. Come on!”
I stop in my tracks and look at him. I know that if I go with him, he is going to lead me to that monster rollercoaster that requires so much more. So I hesitate. And I get in line once more for the kiddie roller coaster. My friend will not get in line with me for this roller coaster, for he also loves the monster coasters. However, he wants to ride the big coaster with me. So he sits sadly outside of the kiddie coaster and just waits for me. I look over at him when I come through one of the wide curves and he sadly smiles at me. In my heart, I know the right thing to do is to walk across the park with him and get on the monster. But in my mind there is a battle…the walk appears to be so long to get across the park and this kiddie roller coaster, whereas not being the most fun, has its perks…it does not require me to face any fear or have any deep feelings of any sort. And then the thought comes to mind, neither does it cause any joy.
When the train stops, I get off and go find my friend. He asks if I have been having a good time to which I hastily reply no. So again he asks me if I will walk with him to the other side of the park and get on the monster coaster with him. This time I agree. I tell him of my fear and he assures me that it will be well worth it. My friend knows my heart…he knows the passion that resides therein and he knows how to satisfy that passion.
As we walk to the monster, we talk…and before I know it, we are there. What I figured would be a horribly long walk in the summer sun was nothing but a few steps really. We get in line for the monster. It is a relatively short line compared to the kiddie rollercoaster or some of the other smaller coasters. As we get to the front of the line, my mind begins to fill with all of these thoughts that are horribly contradictory to one another. On one hand I feel the rush of excitement as we start this ride…knowing that it is going to be full of deep depths and high speed and great heights and turns and loops. And on the other hand, I feel a sense of dread…what if I get half way through and can’t do it anymore? What if they have to stop the ride for me and let me off? What if the coaster falls off the tracks?
Again, my friend assures me that this will be the most amazing ride of my life. I trust him and want to please him, so we get on and buckle ourselves in. As the train starts its first ascent to the top where it will immediately drop us and go into a corkscrew curve I let myself be overtaken with the rush of excitement. My friend is next to me, laughing and screaming with me as we go. There are times when I think I can’t handle another drop or I wish it would just slow down, but I take one look at my friend and realize that its all ok.
When the train stops, I thank my friend for inviting me on the ride and for talking me into it. What an experience.
In my life, this is a picture of how I have been living and what God has called me to. I have been on the kiddie rollercoaster of love. I have not received love or lived in love that Christ offers. Christ’s love is much more like the monster coaster in all its depths and heights. The friend on the coaster with me is two part. In one sense, it was Jesus inviting me along to experience His love and all its passion. He truly knows my heart and all the passions that lie within it. He speaks to me in ways that I can understand and stays with me, He never leaves nor forsakes me. The other part is any friend in my life who has been my “love with skin on” who has challenged me to love with reckless abandon. They have challenged me to experience God’s love on a deeper level…to let go of what this world offers and just let God’s love sweep over me and live in that.
By riding this kiddie coaster I have tried to put all the passions that God has given me into a box…a box that they were not meant for. God means for us to be all that He has created us to be. And he surrounds us with people to bring that out in us. He enables us to love with a fierce love and makes us stand in awe of how much He loves us. What an amazing and beautiful God we have.