The HighPoint blog post

I have the absolute pleasure of working with some great people, and even greater kids, in our church's children's ministry called HighPoint. I also get the opportunity to write for the blog once a month. Here is the post I submitted for the virtue of trust that we are focusing on this month:

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For a very long time I was too scared to go on any roller coasters. No matter how many times my older brother, Steve, went on them and arrived back to the group alive and excited from the experience (not gasping for air or fainting from fright) I just wouldn't get on them. I had a picture in my head that the roller coaster was something that was going to send me careening off of the cliffs of insanity thereby permanently damaging my mental and physical well-being. So I decided to sit it out. I just didn't trust the people, including my own brother, who said that I would love the experience. I knew better than they did and I knew in my heart of hearts that this was something other than what they were saying that it was. Even though they knew me and that knowledge of me made them think that this was going to be a fun thing for me to do, I refused to listen to them.

Well, finally, I gave in. Now I am on the other side of the fence. My oldest son and I are going to be accompanying other 6th through 8th graders from Northridge on a trip to Darien Lake Theme Park. Now I love Darien Lake because it has my favorite roller coaster of all time there - the Boomerang. I want to share the experience of the Boomerang with my oldest son because I think he will love it and I want to be by his side when he does. But he doesn't trust me. And now I feel the pain of those that plead with and prodded me to accompany them on the roller coasters that they loved.

And so it goes with my Father and I. How many times has He invited me to trust Him? How many times has He wanted to flood my mind with the peace that only He can give and that is a direct result of my trusting Him through a difficult situation? How many times have I sat outside of that invitation to trust Him and, thus, preoccupied my mind with worry and even mild despair? He knows me better than I know myself and yet I find that I am, all too often, just not interested in trusting Him and approach my life with my own strength neglecting the Person that is able to be trusted...all the time.

I am going to pray that my son gives into me and tries some of the big coasters there because, after that, I think he'll be hooked. More importantly I want to get in touch with the feelings I have around not being trusted and use those, in part, to help motivate me to trust Him more. I want my heart and soul to fall into the strong, able arms of the One who loves me more than anyone ever has or will. I want to trust in Him and His Word to guide and comfort me ever-increasing measure.

I want to hold my Dad's hand and step on the roller coaster knowing that we're in this together and that He will, though it all, continue to conform me into the image of His Son.

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