On our recent family vacation, we had the opportunity to go to a water park.
I knew that the resort had this feature, but I hadn’t been able to view any pictures of it on their website. I had very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised when we walked up and saw 4 huge water slides, a play area and the huge bucket of water that would fill up and then dump on you at random times. The kids were ecstatic and ran in without hesitation. I kicked off my flip flops and chased after them.
The pool area was enormous and packed with kids and their parents. It took a few minutes to figure out where our kids had run off too. My son and the other boys were under the bucket, getting tons of water poured on them. I spotted the girls going up to the highest slide and waiting for their turn. I was interested to see if my younger one (the more skittish one) would actually go down. She sure did and before I knew it, she came screaming out of that slide.
After a few runs on their own, the girls asked me to go with them. I said “Sure!” and we headed towards the closest pool exit. I was a bit nervous as I stood at the top, awaiting my turn. Was I flexible enough to do this anymore? What if I drowned in the 1/4 inch of water in the tube? What if I got stuck? What if my bathing suit got stuck and I didn’t? And then there I was, next in line, waiting for the life guard to give me the signal.
He blew his whistle and I sat down on the slide. I gave myself one good push and then a loud scream (for effect, of course), and then I was off! For the first few seconds, the slide had a bit of light coming in from the entrance. The further I got in, the darker it got. There was a small twist. Then it was pitch black with larger twists and turns. I finally saw the literal light at the end of the tunnel and then SPLASH! I hit the water.
Water rushed in through my nose. I hit the bottom of the pool and then bounced back up. Once I re-oriented myself and burst into laughter. What a rush! I grabbed the kids, and we did it again. We rode all of the slides several times that afternoon and had a great time.
Why is it that sliding down that slide, in the dark, with all its twists and turns, was fun and exciting for me- but I don’t see the excitement in the dark, twisty, turny parts of life? In real life, I don’t like when I don’t know what’s coming. I’m filled with anxiety and dread, not excitement. I know that seeds grow in the dark, but being in the dark makes me uncomfortable. I don’t enjoy it- I scramble towards the light as fast as I can. What if instead of rushing through the hard parts of life, I just pretended that I was standing at the top of a water slide. What if I just took a deep breath, gave myself a push and a scream, and just dealt with it?
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:16-18, NIV)
I pray that in your dark and twisty times, you would find strength in the Holy Spirit. I pray that you would remember that He is with you in the dark. You are not alone. He is with you. His love for you is immeasurable. Don’t fight being in the dark. Seek Him there as well.
~Shiney
