I always thought it
was strange how I see the year’s calendar in my mind. It resembles a roller
coaster. This time of year is that part of the ride when the roller coaster car
is slowly ticking its way up through the last few days of December to the apex
of the calendar on December 31. On January 1 the ride tilts forward to begin its
downhill journey racing through the last remnants of winter into the new life
of spring flattening out through the lazy days of summer to ride the last of
summer’s momentum through Labor Day then back up again into the climbing
traction of fall for the ride back up to where we are today.

One day, I
explained that mental image to my daughter, Anna. She informed me she sees
her calendar in the same. It must run in the family.

I shared the image
of my roller coaster/calendar ride, not just to let you know how I think, but
to encourage you. Some of you feel like you are not going anywhere. You wake up
each day trying to make things happen when God wants you to sit back and actually
enjoy the ride. You have been so programmed by culture to produce and “do
something for God” that you fail to realize you are actually being carried
somewhere. You are not the carrier. You are the rider.

What if, as the
ride of your calendar clicks to the top of this year, you simply made no plans
for 2017? What if you made the choice to enjoy the ride and sat back and
screamed with child-like joy as you raced through the coming year? Like an amusement
park ride our spiritual ride has a few sections where we might become fearful,
but then the next turn is filled with joy. That is the nature of the ride of
life. God did not design the tracks of your ride to take you to death or
injury. He laid the tracks and built the ride with your peace and well being in
mind. He also built the tracks to create joy in your heart so you could ride
through anything that comes your way.

When the final
seconds of 2016 tick off and my roller coaster calendar tips forward to start my
journey into the depths of 2017, I plan on throwing my hands up in the air and
let joy have its way! Shouts of joy and a posture of worship have the ability
to clear the tracks of your life of any obstructions that would have kept you
from enjoying the ride God has planned for your life in 2017.