Freefall: When the Botton Drops Out of Your World
I tried to brace myself for the fall.
Oh, I remember the day well. An amusement park ride named Freefall. 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 college friends. I could do this. They would be with me.
Strapping in with other thrill-seekers and launching to soaring heights, the entire park visible 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.
Elated the ride came to an end, I unbuckled and resolved to keep my feet on the ground for the rest of the day.
Life’s Freefall Ride
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 us with stunning speed and force, leaving us unable to breathe. And it robs our hope in goodness. Free-falling through a loved one dying, losing a job, broken relationships, wayward children, or illness.
Will this ride ever end? When can we unbuckle and get off? If we could plant our feet back on 
the ground.
When life hasn’t turned out as we once hoped—we feel cheated. Those endearments people throw into the air, “the best part of your life” or “the time of your life,” now seem cynical and even cruel.
Still, what happened to the good parts of life? This isn’t how we envisioned it. So, our heart freefalls, determined never again to be a thrill-seeker. Fear and hopelessness become constant, unwelcome companions. “We’re in this together,” they promise.
Will we ever know the thrill of adventure again? Will our heart dare to risk another freefall?
When life isn’t good, we wonder if it will ever be good again. We search for hope—something to grip when everything else has fallen away.
Assurance for the Ride
As a pastor’s wife, I’ve had to answer the tough questions: “Why did this happen? Has God abandoned us?” 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. #hope #God Share on XThat’s the place where hope rises.
Scripture speaks of this hope in God’s goodness. “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 assurance for the adventure. Hope in His goodness. “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 be with you.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, You created me. Life begins with Your love and inherent goodness. It’s who You are and continue to be. Cause me to recognize the presence of goodness today. And when life hasn’t turned out as I once hoped, make my heart strong and confident as I hope in Your goodness. I wait for You. Amen.
When life's not good, God's still good. It's who He is and continues to be. #God #blog Share on XThe Bible speaks of hope in none other than Jesus Christ. Do you know Him?
Contact me to learn more about this hope or for prayer on my contact page.
© 2015 by Karen Friday, All Rights Reserved
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Amen Karen…no matter what we can trust the Lord…
Thanks, Marla. Yes, God’s still God, God’s still on the throne, God’s still good…regardless of our circumstances. Our hope lies in Him alone. Blessings! 🙂
Love the analogy. I know God intentionally doesn’t tell us the bottom is about to fall out because much like that ride, no matter how much bracing and prepping we do, we are never fully prepared. Yet, He is there all the same before, during, and after. Love this 💕
Thank you, Brittany. And, yes, I agree, we wouldn’t be able to handle the knowledge anyway. Grateful we can be confident in His goodness no matter what. Blessings!
Praise God that He doesn’t leave us in our fall, but is present with us. And that makes all the difference! (P.S. I have a son who doesn’t like rollercoasters either! It was all we could do to get him on some at Disney and, of course, he manic for them after. lol)
True, Lisa. God’s with us for the entire ride. What a relief. I’m not a rollercoaster person, or like any rides up high for that matter. 🙂 Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Great way of putting this! I’m so thankful for a God who never leaves us or forsakes us. Hallelujah!
Thanks, Amanda. When life hasn’t turned out as we once hoped, we will see the goodness of the Lord again. Goodness comes from Him. Blessings!
Karen,
What a beautiful reminder: God is good and we can TRUST Him. Yes– even during the freefall. Thank you for this, Karen!
Thank you, Kaitlin. Yes, even when our heart free-falls and we wonder if we will ever be adventurous again, God promises to hold on to us in the midst of the fall and the tough circumstances. Blessings!
I love that His view is from the top and He has the end planned already. We just need to trust and let Him lead. Sometimes that’s the hardest part but it can be done and when we’ve trusted Him once it will be easier to trust again.
Yes, Cindy. The trust factor in the Lord’s leading is huge. The best time of our life is His guiding hand and His leading heart for our good. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
[…] Freefall: When the bottom drops out of your world– Life can be overwhelming with lots of to do’s and family obligations. Whenever you feel like the bottom of your world is falling out, Karen reminds us that, “When life’s not good, God is still good. It is who he is and continues to be.” […]
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