Free Falling—The Ride of Your Life

By Karen Friday

What if this is as good as it gets? Life. Have you ever wondered? When life hasn’t turned out as you once hoped—you’ve felt cheated.

Those endearments people throw into the air, “the best part of your life” or “having the time of your life,” now seem cynical and even cruel.

I remember the day well. An amusement park ride appropriately named Free-fall. The wait in line gave us ample opportunity to watch and ponder the decision to follow through with the adventure.

A fear of heights gave way to assurance from my college friends. I would be fine. I could do this. They would be with me.

Strapping in with other thrill-seekers and traveling to soaring heights, we could see the entire park from the top. I tried to brace myself for the fall, gripping the sidebar until my knuckles turned white. As the sound of an electronic release bellowed behind us, the bottom fell out, dropping us with terrifying speed and force that took my breath.

Feeling elated the ride finally came to an end, I unbuckled and resolved for the rest of the day to keep my feet on the ground.

When the bottom drops out of your world, are you prepared for the fall? You didn’t have a warning to strap in, brace yourself, and tightly grip something—anything. You didn’t even volunteer for the ride.

Life has a way of dropping you with stunning speed and force, taking your breath. And it robs your hope. Will this ride ever end? When can I unbuckle and get off? If I could plant my feet back on the ground.

What happened to the best parts in life? This isn’t how things were supposed to turn out. Unable to see purpose, hope for the future obliterated, your heart free-falls, determined never again to be a thrill-seeker in life. There’s too much at stake.

Fear and hopelessness become constant, unwelcome companions. “We’re in this together,” they promise.

Will you never know the thrill of adventure again? Will your heart dare to risk another free-fall?

When life isn’t good, we wonder if life will ever be good again. We search for answers seeking hope—something to grip when everything else has fallen away.

As a pastor’s wife, I’ve had to answer the tough questions: “Why did this happen? Has God abandoned us?” To help others find hope, I needed answers, too.

I went on a quest for hope and discovered hope’s power lies in truth: God is good, full of mercy, and steadfast in love—no matter what happens. That’s the place hope rises. It springs forward into our journey. It is there even when we can’t see it.

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)

God promises endurance for the adventure. A promise with hope and assurance. “We’re in this together. Bring me along for the ride. I can see your entire life. My view is from the top. I will lead you through the unseen places of this world.”

Are you ready to discover hope greater than what you see?

The Bible speaks of hope in none other than Jesus Christ. Do you know Him?

I would be happy for you to contact me to learn more about this hope or for prayer, karentfriday@gmail.com.

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~ Karen

© 2015 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved