It is good to connect the dots
Among my treasurers, I have wonderful pictures of many of my ancestors. As the self-appointed family historian, I also have a collection of their life stories that have revealed some outstanding achievements, some dreadful miseries, and some terrible misfortunes. Looking back I see a picture of life. It always have some wonderful highs and many woeful lows.
It reminds me of that ride I took in the summer of ’44. I was staying with my oldest sister in Minneapolis. She and her husband took their nephew, Randy, and me to Excelsior Amusement Park. They had told me about the Cyclone, a marvelous roller coaster ride. I desperately wanted to go on this thrilling ride. It was reported to be the biggest hit of this amusement park and I did not want to miss it. Randy and I were among the first to board and we choose the front seats. I had no idea what was going to happen but I anticipated a big thrill as I looked up to the massive tracks that followed deep descents, steep inclines and many twists and turns. It looked pretty safe, I thought, because it was made of wood.
If you have never taken a ride on a huge wooden roller coaster, let me tell you it is very scary. It creaks, moans and groans as it jerks you around sharp curves. You are barely started and you begin to realize that you want to scream, “I have made a huge mistake.” You think that everything is falling apart. You are whipped around and jerked back and forth. You are totally OUT OF CONTROL. As you swoop up the next steep incline and look over the top, you just know that whoever engineered this thing really had miscalculated. You just want to get off before you fly off the track and land with a terrible splat out there in the parking lot. You even have time to picture the little white crosses that will be put up to mark your final landing spot.
That is the picture that I have of life. When we first start off, life seems so wonderful. We are bright-eyed and busy tailed. We think that life will be so smooth and gentle. We are optimistic, idealistic and oh, so hopeful. We just love it when we arise in the morning and the day just smoothes by until we land peacefully in our beds at night. But alas! Soon disasters start to whirl around us. Just when we had started to believe that we would just going to slide swimmingly through life without being disappointed about anything, we start making bad decisions, stupid choices, and impulsive moves. Then other people make choices that have a miserable impact on our lives. A loved one betrays our trust. We think that a friend is rejecting us. Someone cheats us of what is ours. We lose a loved one to suicide; we are diagnosed with cancer; lose a job, get divorced; our first child is born with a crippling disease. Or maybe we are driving along and suddenly, a drunk driver crashes into us and we are once more OUT OF CONTROL. The list could go on and on. It seems that we have been strapped into life’s roller coaster, going places we never wanted to go, at speeds that scare us out of our wits. All we think we can do is hang on for the ride, but we are not going to enjoy it. We don’t like to feel powerless, alone and lonely.
Does this sound like something that has happened in your life? Who do you blame? How do you take it? Who do you rely on for guidance, support and encouragement? There are always people like Dr. Phil, Oprah or a therapist around to give us advice and that is not bad. Is there something better?
Even if you are not a believer in the Bible as the Word of God, have you ever read it as just good literature that is replete with wisdom for living?
For example if you could read some of chapter 4 of the Acts of the Apostles, verses 23-29, you might find some of the greatest advice available, free of charge, about best way to handle life’s ups and downs.
Let me summarize what had happened to these early believers depicted in Acts, several thousand of them, who had been whipped around, gone through some terrible upheavals, their desires crushed, fried and frazzled. You will read how they responded to God’s all-curing therapy, TRUST.
These believers had just gone through the most miserable weekend of their lives, between the time of the crucifixion and the dawn of Sunday morning. They had drawn from this experience some very painful conclusions: “Jesus was a bust! All the things they were counting on now seem ridiculous. It was all a fantasy. We are fools after all. We are sunk. We are back where we started from only this time it is worse because now we are cynical. We don’t know if we can ever trust God again.”
These people were in the bottom of the vilest dumpster. They were on the downside of their own personal roller coaster. Then came Easter morning. They heard that Jesus had arisen! They thought, “Wow! We are back in business!”
Then after forty days Jesus leaves them again. Down they go again. They feel like orphans, lonely and alone. Then ten days later here comes the Holy Spirit who fills them with faith, courage, stamina, and love. Now they get it. There is a master plan! The One in control of their roller coaster is the One who created the whole universe. It is the One who loves them unconditionally. Now they really are on top of the world!
What do they do? They go to the temple to pray and praise God. Peter and John see a beggar calling for alms near the temple door. Peter says that they have no money but they will give what they have. Peter tells the man. IN THE NAME OF JESUS, GET UP AND WALK!
Then they get locked up in prison. Soon they are standing in front of the same judges that had crucified Jesus. This time, instead of cringing in fear, they speak out with courage. They were soon released because the leaders did not want to cause another uprising, but they told Peter and John to shut up about Jesus. No Way! They had to praise the God who was in control. When they went back to their community, the whole assembly praised God. They had got it at last.
When will we get it? We are not a people adrift. Our lives are not meaningless. We are not just some part of an evolutionary coincidence. We are in God’s world. He is the One who designed our personal roller coaster. God is speaking in a language we can all understand because He came down to live among us to show us how to live and He provides the strength to live it right in peace, love and justice.
The death of Jesus was not a disaster. It was part of God’s loving plan. In verse 29 we find our part of this plan. We learn it is healthy to be scared. Like little children who get frightened we run with confidence into the loving, protective arms of God. He will give us everything we need to face the scary, hurtful, and joyful ups and downs of our roller coaster lives. We don’t want to miss those openings to run to the Father. Relax. He will teach us why we are getting jerked around and how we need to respond. He has the cure for every hurt.
As we get through the trials and tribulations of life, we can grow in strength, resilience and wisdom. God can use our own brokenness as a canvas to paint a beautiful picture that will bring hope and trust to others so that they can see that a loving God is in control. He is the source of all life, forgiveness and security. It is good to look back on our past and begin to connect the dots. We will be able to say, “Yes, everything will turn out OK. It may not be all that pleasant right now, but I am determined to enjoy my ride with God at the controls.
Those early believers were not rulers of the world. They had no political power, no military power, no economic power, but they had the power of God's Word to lift the up. Let's stay on track, believing that God is always with us. And let's not forget to thank Him for all the blessings He pours out on us each and every day.