This morning, I experienced a sensation like I did the first time I rode a roller coaster. I believe the Lord brought the memory back to prepare me for the future.

The first time I rode a rollercoaster was on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in California. I was about eight years old. As I sat down in one of the rollercoaster cars, and the attendant moved a large metal bar across my lap. The bar became a gripping place for my young white-knuckled hands. As the ride began to leave the boarding area, the rollercoaster made a few shallow turns then started up a long and steep climb to the summit of the highest point on the ride.  

As we made the climb, a clicking sound from the rollercoaster cars engaging a huge chain was our signal that we were moving to the top of the run. The clicking sound added to the drama. As we reached the top of the highest point, the clicking stopped just before the downhill run began, and the screaming started. I feel like we are at the apex of something significant at this moment in history. The clicking has stopped, and soon the run will begin.

I still remember the ride that day. I was screaming with joy and exhilaration. Others were frozen in fear. Some called out for help, and I am sure someone got sick. Change, rapid change in our emotional and situational stability, can produce a wide range of responses just like a rollercoaster ride. 

Take a few moments today to gather your thoughts and emotions. Hold on to the basics of your faith as the ride into a new and unexplored future begins. An unfamiliar run is about to take place, a run most of us have never experienced before. The ride can feel like it did for an 8-year-old boy on his first roller coaster ride if what we are holding onto is strong and secure, the same yesterday, today, and forever.