Dear God, Waiting in Line is Half the Experience

Dear God,

Just like any amusement park thrill ride…… waiting is half the experience. You get your hand stamped and push your way through the metal bars and enter the land of excitement. We know that we are going to be exposed to the height of enthusiasm, as we join our friends and wait for the gentleman to adjust the handle bars and give the motion for the ride to begin. Our hearts race as we slowly begin to thrust forward and see that we are about to climb the inevitable tracks that will zoom to that impending moment…that takes our breath away. Yes….this is what gets the heart and adrenaline pumping at max speed.

This new adventure You’ve decided to take me on, is quite thrilling….in the aspect that I have no idea, what to expect next. I am living one day at a time, in the knowledge that You are my guide and will make sure that no matter how dangerous, I forsee in the coming attraction….I have to know that You will make sure that I am secure and that my handle bars are my faith and Your mercy. These are the two things that I must hold on to, in order to survive this without permanent injury. I am facing the unknown, and that is a scary thing in a world that seems to have advanced in knowledge at an alarming rate in the last several decades. Surly, I can take this new information and diagnosis, and turn its fear and pain, into something beautiful for my Lord. Beauty from ashes….that’s what they say, right? Well, I know that I have trusted You in every good and perfect thing in my life, so why should I start to doubt you now.

Perhaps I just need to look at my life of these past 41 years as just the “waiting in line” phase. I have been pretty lucky to watch the interesting people walk by and even at times entertain me. I have been able to enjoy the excitement of watching others who have just gotten to the end of their roller coaster ride, and are ready to relax, and just enjoy the evening, until it’s time to go home. For that’s what we all do in this life. We wait…..wait to walk, wait to talk, to grow from toddle to tween, to driver, to graduate, to college, to finding that special someone….and then we reach the top of the coaster—-this is the most exciting time of our lives, we get married, we start a family, we have a career, and we are enjoying the good life! Eventually we know that what goes up…must come down. For some it certainly seems as though it is a slow-motion ride to the finish line. For others, we zoom by it so fast, that we hardly can believe that we are being exited off the adventure…..because others are waiting in line to begin theirs.

We all have our whole lives ahead of us. We all wait in line to begin. We all have choices to make, and one of the most important is “who will we serve”. Do we choose our own fate? Do we think that we can live our lives anyway that we want, and then pray that we will spend an eternity with those we love? It breaks my heart to know that there are those out there, that are waiting in line…..beginning to make choices….choosing which ticket to buy….will they choose a thrill ride…or go on the merry-go-round and spend their entire lives guessing how their future will end? I thank You God, that You loved me enough to show me the direction to take. That even though I may not have chosen to take this path, on my own accord. I have the assurance, that You know what is best for me. You know who my life might affect. Will my struggle with MS affect the life of someone who is still waiting by the gate, and deciding which ticket to buy? Only You know the truth. Only You know the outcome. Only You know how my day will end, and when it will come.

I am grateful that no matter how much I may suffer, I know that You will be here. You were the One who cast the first smile on the day that I was born….and You will be the first to reach for my hand and lead me home, when the time is right. I will trust that waiting has been half of the experience, and now I am on the ride for my life. I am looking to the sky and praying that You assure me that I am safe and sound. I pray that You will allow me to share the gospel and my testimony for all to hear and learn. Our lives can be fast and furious…..or slow and calming. Either way, You will be with us always.

Waiting for the Trumpet,

Gina