Fear, Roller Coasters, and Learning To Let Go

I love roller coasters. I spent a good chunk of my childhood afraid of heights, until my parents took us (my sister, brother, and I) to an amusement park. I made the determination, on that day, to find and ride as many tall rides as they had to offer. It worked! I started small and worked my way up, until I got over my fear of heights and became an avid fan of the rides. I visited that park and others, riding every new roller coaster they built. They built them taller, and I just got more excited to try 'em out.

I discovered, in a sense, that the answer to both my fear and my cure was found in faith. See, I'm not somebody who likes letting go. I don't like situations in which I'm not in control. I get carsick if I'm not driving. I've never even been tempted to drink to excess, or to even try drugs, because I find the very idea of losing control over myself abhorrent. My fear of heights was not a fear of heights; it was a fear of falling, and having no control over my descent.

My cure, ultimately, was a rational one. I knew the statistics on roller coaster-related deaths. I knew that, if I belted myself securely into one of those cars, I could rest in the knowledge that many had gone before me, many would come after me, and that, ultimately, the engineer knew what he was doing when he built it. For the few terrifying seconds of my first ride, I made the decision to put my faith in the engineer who built the roller coaster. And after not dying the first time, I learned there was joy to be found in letting go.

My journey of faith in God was similar. I learned to trust the One who created life, who designed this journey. I learned to trust the Engineer who designed the Universe. And I learned the joy to be found in letting go and just enjoying the ride.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. Psalm 37:5