Grace for the Ride

Last week, our family spent a week in Walt Disney World. This is an annual event for us, as I married into an authentic Disney family. My husband and I will celebrate 18 years of marriage this July, and I have been to the most magical place on earth 17 times.

My first trip with his family was before I was even a legit Buss. David and I had just gotten engaged in early November, and part of the celebration was a trip with his family at Thanksgiving. It was packed full of all the Disney things—four parks, lodging on the property, souvenir shopping, and a Thanksgiving dinner at the iconic Polynesian Resort.

What David didn’t know when he asked me to be his wife was that I’m not really the amusement park type. I don’t like large crowds, and more than that, I really don’t like roller coasters. I think he was aware that I wasn’t a thrill seeker or a risk taker, but I don’t know that he understood the level of anxiety I would face in the long lines leading up to a ride.

As a kid, I went to Disney once. I was in 5th grade, and my grandmother, Lou, took our family. I remember the same anxiety, followed by refusing to ride anything that even hinted at being fast. I was unwilling to take on Space Mountain, for instance, and spent those hours enjoying a Mickey ice cream bar with Lou. (She wasn’t a thrill seeker either. It must be genetic :)

But on that maiden voyage as a soon-to-be Buss, I was not going to let my future husband down and be a killjoy. I decided that I’d be up for whatever Disney had in store.

The first thing Walt had planned for me was a ride in Animal Kingdom called “Everest,” officially known as Expedition Everest. Lucky for me, Everest was a brand-new attraction on my first trip with the Buss clan. Not only did all of the Busses want to ride it, but so did the rest of the visitors to Animal Kingdom that day.

The line was forever long, which just gave me extra time to panic and build up the ride to be a personal death sentence. I can vividly remember questioning all the strangers in line to see if any of them had already ridden it once. I was desperate for a play-by-play of the drops and turns. I recall interrogating anyone under the age of 10, thinking that if they had ridden it and were in line again, it must not be that bad.

The length of the line, and the constant interviewing of the other people in it, did nothing to quiet the thoughts in my head. By the time I actually sat down on the ride, I was physically ill and shaking, pretty confident that I’d never make it to life after Everest.

The ride was a lot. There were heights, backward drops, and even a Yeti appearance—but I did survive. Not only that, I also had fun. I remember getting off the ride a little shaken up, adrenaline still pumping, but also so proud of myself that I not only rode it, but enjoyed it.

Yes, it was outside of my comfort zone. But I learned in that moment that just because something seems scary on the front end doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea.

With that fresh revelation, the Lord also whispered another truth that has carried me through many seasons outside of Disney. He tenderly reminded me:

“Sarah, you tend to build things up so terribly and dauntingly in your mind that you rarely step out and enjoy the ride. You spend so much time asking for opinions and looking for confirmation that you lack trust in what I am doing and what I am calling you to. And the worry and doubt do nothing but steal from you the joy of the wait.”

It was a sobering thought, riddled with conviction and truth. I have often been reminded of His voice that day as I exited Everest.

Gospel of Matthew 6:34 tells us that we aren’t to worry about tomorrow. We serve a God of today. His grace is sufficient for us in the moment.

When I allow myself to get on the proverbial ride of life in my mind before I’ve even reached the front of the line, I give energy to worries that are not a reality in the present. The truth is that God is more than sufficient to take care of all of my needs, but His grace and comfort are available to me for what I am currently experiencing. When I reach tomorrow, the same will be true.

He won’t let me down. But in being My Daily Bread, He is not going to give me grace for tomorrow before I am there.

Beyond that truth, I’ve also learned that one of the enemy’s best tactics is to keep us stuck in the fear of what is to come. Our humanness allows us to dream up every scenario that may or may not lie ahead. At least for me, those thoughts are usually worst-case scenarios that I receive and believe as truth.

They can rob me of the joy of the wait. They can keep me from connecting with the Author and building my faith. Worst of all, they can keep me paralyzed and unwilling to get on the “ride” at all.

Too often, I haven’t realized the enemy’s schemes fast enough, and valuable time and energy have been wasted. But in my older (and wiser) years, I’m beginning to recognize the value of receiving grace for today and trusting God with tomorrow.

Life is too precious to live any other way, and the rides that God has planned for us are way too important.

So here’s to living each day to the fullest and trusting God with all that is ahead. May the future He has planned for us be full of twists and turns that He, as the master experience-maker and developer, has equipped and prepared us for.

A Few Thoughts to Hold Onto

• We often build things up in our minds to be far worse than they actually are.

• Worry steals the joy of the wait.

• God gives grace for today—not borrowed grace for tomorrow.

• Fear of what might happen can keep us from stepping into what God is doing.

• The enemy’s tactic is paralysis; God’s invitation is trust.

• Sometimes the ride we dread most becomes the place we grow the most.