I don’t enjoy roller coasters. There, I said it. I love zip lining, swimming in the ocean, flying high in an airplane, but roller coasters have never made it onto my bucket list.

Several years ago, I was at a Christian camp for a week with  my youth group. The camp had made a make shift thrill ride. Every day we had hours of free time and someway, somehow, I had been persuaded into trying this ride. The ride kind of resembled the pirate ship ride at amusement parks, except we weren’t in a ship. It was just two people harnessed together swinging back and forth like a pendulum.

My friend and I were harnessed together. We slowly made our way to the top. When we reached the top, I heard a click. The moment the “click” sounded, we started to fall face forward so fast I thought my eyes would fall out (no joke). My eyes were closed. I continued to keep them shut not wanting to enjoy the ride.

As the ride began to slow to an enjoyable speed, I heard someone from the crowd below shout to me, “Open your eyes!”. I really didn’t want to, but decided to give it a try. So, I opened my eyes. I actually started to enjoy swinging back and forth when my eyes were open. My eyes had been shut so tightly, I had convinced myself that I wasn’t going to enjoy it no matter how hard I tried.

I hadn’t thought of that ride in a long time, but today I was reminded of it and thought of a valuable lesson.

When we close our eyes to what God has done and what He will do, we set limits on what He can do through us and for us. When we don’t enjoy the ride, we are being our own worst enemy by choosing to make the situation worse than it is or could be.

Embrace the journey. God has a special plan for each our lives.

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”

Habakkuk 1:5 “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.”

God can do more than we ask or think.

Open your eyes to all that God has done and will do.

He doesn’t want us to miss out on His special plan for our lives. It will be hard to be useful when we willingly close our eyes choosing to shut certain things out.

We can’t close our in eyes in hopes of nothing harming us.  With our eyes opened or closed, there will be rough patches on our journey.

We are meant to live life with our eyes and hearts open to God and others around us.

Open your eyes and be brave. Be willing to face the hard parts of your journey.

We have no reason to fear with God right beside us every step of the way.