I Hate Roller Coasters...

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "A roller coaster of emotions."  Well, I hate roller coasters...especially the emotional kind!

I've never enjoyed riding roller coasters, even though friends have managed to talk me onto a few of them in my life.  Maybe it's because I have a fear of heights, or a fear of falling (and the sudden stop at the bottom!)  I've never found any pleasure in the anticipation and anxiety of climbing that first hill, or in the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you stare down the opposite side of that hill.  No sir, roller coasters just aren't my thing.  Turn the physical roller coaster into an emotional one, and it's even more miserable for me, but I have been on one this past week!

When we moved back to the farm, we came to be near Mom and Dad so we could be here to help them keep up these 147 acres.  For a year and a half we have settled in and have enjoyed being back around family and friends.  Then, I got a call that made me stop and reconsider.

I was offered a chance to be back on the air at the network where I worked before we moved back.  It would have been a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the ministry, and would have given us a chance to be around the friends we made there.  Of all the offers I have received over the years, this one really grabbed me and made me wrestle it like it was a Grizzly bear.

I fought it on one side and then the other!  I could see us staying here and being perfectly happy, but I could also see us going back and still being happy.  It wasn't one of those no-brainer decisions -- or was it?  That was the problem.  I could see so many benefits to each side that I almost think I over-analyzed it and made it more difficult than it really should have been.  Yes, we wanted to do God's will, but sometimes His will isn't in the answer that seems to be the most logical.  Well, to make a long story short, I wound up turning down the offer.  On the surface, it seemed to be perfect and we almost felt like we had no other choice, at least for a short while.  In the end, it all came down to answering the question of why we moved here in the first place.  As soon as I cut through the emotion and got to the real heart of the matter, the answer was so clear!  There was also an overwhelming peace!

I don't know what you're going through, but if you're on a roller coaster of emotion and you're struggling to make a decision, let me offer a suggestion.  Get off the roller coaster!  Emotions are good, but they can be so deceptive.  Don't make a decision based on emotion, PRAY!  That's the only way you can know that the answer isn't a "hit or miss" thing.  Of course, a little bit of Godly counsel is a good thing, and it can provide confirmation of your answer.  Just don't try to use it to give the answer, otherwise you'll end up with a bunch of "what ifs" when the emotions start rising once again!  Hang in there, and if you need someone to agree with you in prayer, just send me an email.