Standing in the line that stretched forever, we peeked around the corner to get a glimpse of the amusement ride that awaited. Shifting weight from one foot to the other, we were more impatient by the second. Mind your step! Pull down the safety bar and have fun!
Lucky folks were already jumping in. Experiencing. We could almost see the fun ahead. Hurry up, people! Best day ever!
The ride was almost ours for the taking. We couldn’t wait. The familiar theme song wafting from speakers got louder with each step we took. Until it was our last step. Arrival. Loading in the car. Excited. Anxious. Fishing for the safety bar, pulling it down into place.
Ready! Let’s goooooo!
Suddenly thrust forward into the experience. Ready or not.
Within a millisecond it seemed to be over. Can we go again? Did you see that? Did you miss that detail? Let’s go again! We went from unfamiliar to keenly aware with the blink of an eye. What others had tried to describe, we understood with a new perspective. Our perspective. Our experience.
Good experiences are our favorite. Yes, Captain Obvious.
But what about the tough times we find in our path? The challenges that rattle us to our core?
Regardless of public opinion, politics, or personal preference, we’ve all been on a wild ride this past few years. Globally. Every tribe and nation. None of us understood what was around the corner.
All of us felt misunderstood at one point of another. We were all treading into new territory, peeking around the corner for instruction and inspiration, trying to understand what safety bars were needed to keep us held on this ride of life.
None of us had the bearings for this battle.
Our attitudes and anger had plenty of fuel from the overabundance of media voices and socials clamoring for a piece of the puzzle. Our schedules were turned upside down. Our comfort zones were shattered. We lost people we loved and rallied around others who recovered well. We argued about what or why or how or when, when we should have just been loving our fellow man. Regardless of their stance, or science, or scientific argument.
One of the big changes for most of us was learning to be ok just hanging out at home. Being ok with ourselves, alone. When the world seemed to stop spinning. Alone or with our people, we had lots of quality time, and it was up to us to figure out what quality meant to us.
Friend, bear with me, but I think this has been one of the biggest gifts given our generation. You know, us, the people who can’t go ten minutes without checking our phone. The masses who can’t wait more than five minutes for our takeout food. The families who forgot how to look each other in the eye, laugh, and love well. Once bound by schedules, activities, and busy work, we suddenly saw all those balls drop to the ground. The gravity of it all was just too much. Now what?
In the midst of adversity and struggle, God does beautiful things.
We were given a couple years to slow down, just long enough, to try this thing called fellowship and community with family at a whole new level. Could we do it? Did we do it?
So so many people made awesome memories. With their people. Others, not so much. God is with both tribes, both approaches. He is rejoicing with those who found the secret. He is equally with those still struggling to climb out of the pit of pandemic chaos. God is faithful to bring us all to a place of healing. All of us.
Now, wandering out of the haze, and finding our new normal, we have choices. Lots of choices. Will we ever go back to the cubicle? Will we finally take that dream trip to far off lands? Will we continue to hug and laugh like we did when time was on our side?
Or, will we fill the minutes up with things that don’t last, and forget how to slow down and cherish on the daily. You know, go back to that place of disconnection.
It is this moment, beyond the arguments, beyond the conflicts, beyond the challenges, when we discover who we are. We embrace who we were purposed to be. We focus on what really matters.
It is in this moment where we hold our head high, and say, no matter our story, we made it.
Mind your step! Enjoy the ride!
We are here, today, with breath in our lungs, and a smile on our lips.
We made it!
We are a people who say we know what we got through and we know what we only could know because we went through what we all went through. Together.
Don't Squander the Wander! 