I can't do it! Let me off this ride! This isn't what I signed up for!
These are all just some of the few things that have scampered through my mind two minutes into my treadmill time. Matter of fact, it reminds me of an experience I had with a friend recently before riding Big Thunder Mountain at Disney. We had found ourselves with some time to burn while at Magic Kingdom and decided to jump on what looked to be some sight-seeing train ride. After moving through the line, we found ourselves plopping into a two seated cart with a seat belt and some brief instructions on safety. No big deal, it's just a train ride. Next we found ourselves being waved at and immediately entering a dark tunnel making a left hand turn. After a short straightaway during which the sounds of bats can be heard, the train makes a slight right hand turn and starts to climb a hill. So as we are climbing up this hill my friend turns to me and asks, "Is this a roller-coaster?" Uninformed, I just shrugged my shoulders and wondered why he asked the question. Then it hit me, this dude is deathly scared of roller-coasters and that we were on one.
At about pretty much the same time as this hit me, it hit my friend. He started to freak out flailing his arms around looking for an exit. I'm not sure why my first response was laughter, but it was apparent that it wasn't a help. As we were being cranked to the first drop, I heard him praying fervently and making major deals with God, all being contingent upon his life being saved! Again, I don't know why my response was laughter and, again, it was not helpful. The rest of the ride was full of tears, screaming, closed eyes, and my laughter. As we pulled into the gate ending the ride, the most interesting thing happened. I assumed he would vomit, punch me, or ask for an ambulance... but he didn't. Instead, this fear-stricken wreck wanted to jump on the ride again!
It's amazing how much our thoughts can handicap us and stop us from going any further. Especially when we're not sure what kind of ride we are on. But even though today you may be beaten up, worried about the future, scared to death you will fail, losing something you feel like you can't live without, dished out something you didn't account for, and the ride just seems out of control... there is someone there with seat belts for protection and a track guiding you home. And the craziest thing is that if you just hold on and endure the ride, if you just surrender your fears and anxiety when you are pushed to your limit, he'll always be there to help you come through it. Heck... you might even gain enough confidence to ride again!
"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG
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