Life can be like a roller coaster you know. Sometimes your just whizzing along and not thinking about much else than paying bills, making that next hunnerbucks, and keeping up with the Jones' and the Koehn's. You're gathering speed with all your might and you look out ahead and think, "Maybe around this time next year, I'll be at the place where I really want to be." 

 

The next year comes along and we see that big ol hill coming up, and we look over at the Jones' and the Koehn's and we say, wow..... "I didn't see this coming, but maybe next year, I'll be at that place up there where I really want to be."

Then after that, I'm going to spend more time with my wife and kids. I'm going to go fishing with my boys. I'm going to be more involved in community projects, and I'm going to spend more time connecting and reaching out to those that I love. I'll go to church more.

 

I'm going to read my Bible then too.

 

We're rollin' fast.... so fast we don't have time to reach down to take the flower that little girl or boy is trying to hand us.

 

We just fly right on by in a cloud of dust and smoke cuz really, who's got time fer foolish stuff like that. What's gonna happen if we waste a minute.

 

We somehow think that the whole world and this whole rollercoaster that we're on is totally dependent on us and our success.... or failure. What's going to happen if we let up now? 

 

Everyone is depending on us, and who knows what kind of an awful mess we'd have if I quit doin all the important stuff I'm doing. There's the Jones' and the Koehn's too that we know are just over the fence scrutinizing and eying every move we make. They just took a real nice vacation too.

 

We can't let up, we tell ourselves. We've only got one shot and it looks like this is the last chance at making the big one. Pedal to the metal. 

 

_________

 

Then, sometimes the whole thing comes off the rails. There's a lot of sparks, and the deceleration is so quick we reach out for something to grab onto. Anything solid. If we're lucky like we were, friends come because that's what friends do even though we neglected them sometimes. 

 

Somewhere in there we try to find God. Seems like maybe we lost Him back there in the middle of that last long flying stretch we made. It wasn't that He couldn't keep up.... we just took a different direction. 

 

We're left hanging off the side and it seems like there's nothing really to grab on to. 

 

It's in those times that we start to have a glimpse of what really matters and maybe that just going fast isn't all there is to it. Maybe the Jones' didn't really have it figured out either.

 

 For the rest of my life, I'll be reminded of my Dad on my birthday. Two years ago today, I spent one of the last days of his life on earth with him in the hospital in Denver. 

 

He passed away on the 26th of April. 

 

He just moved, and God changed his address. That's all really. 

 

......and he was the best dad a couple boys could ask for. 

 

So we try n take what we've learned and go out n do the best we can at occupying till He comes. 

 

I think today is a good day to put our best effort forward, but enjoy the ride.

 

Dad would often say and I think it fits well, "Anticipate (look forward to) what God has next for us."