The Rollercoaster of God

I was numb with fear and embarrassment. As I sat there with my eyes closed, everything in my mind was screaming at me to take my hand out of the air and pretend as though I’d never put it up, but something in me said not to. 1

The youth speaker repeated the question, “Raise your hand if you have not accepted God into your life”.2

What would all these devoted Christians think of me when they opened their eyes and saw I had my hand up? I was probably the only one too. Slowly, my heart beat slowed and I relaxed. I somehow knew that they would not think less of me. Just then my blood turned to ice as the speaker asked his next question, “If you have raised your hand, come to the front”. Fear gripped me. There was no way I was about to stand up, in front of all these people and actually admit that I am not a true Christian. 3

“Why not?” said that voice, “you’re scared of what they think of you?”4

After fighting with my emotions for a while and coming to the conclusion that everyone had already seen me put my hand up, I shakily got to my feet. To my surprise, I was accompanied by two others. We walked to the front, all the time I was thinking about what might be about to happen. 5

***6

A year and a half ago, when I stood up, in front of those people, I had no idea that I was about to step onto the most exciting rollercoaster there was in life. I gave my life to the Lord that night.7

The feeling cannot be explained. While I stood there, a crowd of people around me, their hands stretched out as they prayed, I felt the Holy Spirit enter me and I felt a load lift off my shoulders. The tingling spread from my toes to my face and left me shivering all over with the power of the Holy Spirit. 8

It took a few days for it to sink in. I couldn’t help smiling every time I remembered that I was now a Christian. It hasn’t been easy, I can assure you. It has it’s ups and downs, like any other rollercoaster, but this ride is unlike any other. Yes, the one which the drug addicts ride has very high moments, but then suddenly life comes crashing down on you as you fall out of your reverie. The ordinary life rollercoaster is as normal as the life you lead. True, there are times when you are happy, but when bad things happen, you are so very, very low with nothing to catch you are you go plummeting down. 9

My rollercoaster, however, is best ride you will ever experience. The highs are so high you feel as if you can touch the sky. There are lows, as there are in any rollercoaster, but in this one, you have the most awesome and amazing God to catch you and hold you as you cry. This coaster has one very good advantage that puts it far above the others; there is no height restriction that has to be met so that you can join the ride. God lets every single person onto his ride; all they have to do is give their whole life to him.10

I cannot say that I have experienced God fully. There are so many times that I feel out of touch with Him, but as each day passes I learn more and one day I will truly be ready to live with Him eternally.11

The day I stepped off the ordinary coaster and onto the God-coaster, was the day I was reborn. I can scream with joy as I rise up into the sky and fall back into God’s hands as I go down. My rollercoaster is a mighty adventure, the most exciting ever lived and my ride has only just begun.12