Have you ever been on the Thunder Mountain train ride at Disney?
The train thumps, it bumps, it creaks, and it slows down before the engine speeds up along the rickety track. Then, in an instant, you hit the peak. You begin the quick descent before you feel a shake of the railway cart, you dodge the boulders and the obstacles in your way. Then, you swoop around the winding turns. It’s a thrill because you have conquered the unexpected. You adjusted to the obstacles in your way. The ride concludes and you have arrived safely in the exact place you were meant to be.
I rode this ride multiple times with my boys and each time, the feelings remained unchanged.
Although I knew what to expect, it still felt unexpected. Each time I rode, it was thrilling, it was satisfying, and it was fun! It was emblematic of my daily life. Each day while, I strategically plan and calculate, I run into the unexpected. I am forced to adjust and adapt.
I am learning after 40 years that there will be turbulence. There will be things, people, and events that feel unmanageable. I am learning that it is how I CHOOSE to handle the curves and the swoops that matter. When I deliberately and consciously CHOOSE to change my mindset, when I ask God to help and guide me, I end up CHOOSING the more manageable track, almost every time.
It takes time to build our foundation, so we are ready for the peak. It takes time to get to the top and to be prepared for the descent, BUT isn’t that the best part of the ride? Or is the best part of the ride, when you start to pick up speed and quickly coast, right before you are immediately hit with a jolt, a turn, or a bump? Maybe that is the thrill? In my opinion though, regardless of what stage resonates as the thrill, that is the ride of life! The ride doesn’t derail, it just course corrects, and before you know it you have slowed down and are ready for the next peak!
Life is recognizing that we do not fall off the track.
Sometimes the track shifts and we shift with the track.
We need to meet ourselves where we are on the track and just keep going.
Our stability rests with something more solid than a bend or a twist. Our stability rests with trusting your heart, shifting your mindset, and knowing that you can handle the curves with grace.
Do not get discouraged, do not think you cannot pick up where you are. Do not think you have to go back to the beginning. You are ready when you shift your perception to acceptance.
It is intentionally finding the blessing in the track that feels broken. It is deliberately looking for the blessing in the track that left you feeling unsettled. It is reminding yourself daily to keep your eyes open to the possibilities of that unexpected curve. It is putting your trust into keeping your eyes and your heart open. When you are accepting and consistent with this mindset you are bound to see all the opportunities God has in store on the next track!
