December 8

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been scared of water slides, roller coasters, and other thrill rides. My job as a band director keeps me around teenagers who wouldn’t think twice about being dropped 10 stories in a free-fall ride. I have learned much from their bravery; a student afraid to play an instrument by himself in front of his peers will instantly have an iron stomach when turned loose at an amusement park. Now I their teacher was in unfamiliar territory. Here was an opportunity to test my faith even at Splashtown. It was our second attempt to scale the ominous green tower with a group of students that included Doug, the young man who chickened out with me earlier, and two other students who were uncertain whether or not they would see this journey to its final outcome. As one of them stopped short of the topmost platform, the rest continued upward. I assured the student we were leaving behind that it would be all right and that there was nothing to worry about. In these last moments before reaching the top, I was thinking about how God always watches over us. In life, there are moments where, even
when we see others coming off the end of the water slide unhurt, we have difficulty trusting Him who lays out the path before us. I was unusually calm in those last moments but quietly rejoicing in the fact that the student we had left just a moment ago had returned to make the trip with us. Her loud cry, “Hey, I’m gonna do it guys!! I’m here!” was the last thing I heard as I pushed off into the unseen path. My pulse was surprisingly still. Soon, everyone in our party was down below dripping wet, cold but very happy. At that moment, I knew God was speaking to me at a time when I least expected to hear His voice.

DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ARE EASILY INTIMIDATED BY THINGS IN THIS WORLD. SURELY AS YOUR SON JESUS CHRIST HAD THE COURAGE TO FACE THE PATH LAID OUT FOR HIM, WE AS YOUR CHILDREN MUST ALSO HAVE FAITH IN FOLLOWING THE PATH LAID OUT FOR US. AMEN.

Shared by Neil McDaniel