Have you ever lost your way in a vast and disorienting place? Our military chaplain recently told of a time when he got separated from his family at an amusement park as a child. He thought his eyes were on his parents and that he was still walking with them, but he didn’t realize he was actually following someone else. It was a metaphor for prayer and how we need to stay connected in communication with our Father to avoid getting lost. When he described the feeling of panic that overtook him when he realized he was alone, I found myself wishing that little child had a megaphone so he could just call out to his parents above all the noise and they’d know exactly where he was.
Of course, that is the kind of access we have to our Heavenly Father through prayer. We can call out to him when we find ourselves in trouble, and he hears us, knows right where we are, and comes to get us. Even those who may not profess to follow Jesus or even believe in God at all might find themselves instinctively praying these megaphone prayers when they find themselves in crisis. And that is a good thing. But what if we approached prayer as a constant walk of friendship that keeps us from getting lost in the first place? What if we walked through the crowds and tangled avenues with our good guide and friend, enjoying his company and letting him show us the way? That sounds so much better than getting backed into a corner and having to call for help. In fact, it even sounds fun.
Have you ever thought of your relationship with God as a walk through an amusement park? Have you ever spent a day with Him, and had a great time? I have. I can be a bit of a serious person at times, but still I love the depictions of Jesus that show him laughing. Don’t you think the God who created beauty and joy and laughter and jumping goats and screaming hairy armadillos must have laughed with his friends and knows some hilarious jokes and would love to take you around town and show you all the best spots?
I loved going to Six Flags as a kid, and it’s kind of wonderful to imagine exploring the park with Jesus. I imagine he would know all the best rides, like the Giant Drop, which is my favorite and is actually a pretty awesome metaphor for faith. He’d also know which rides to take a pass on, like Shockwave, because it rattles your head around too much to be worth it, and he’d have the inside scoop on which food stands to avoid if you didn’t want to find yourself standing over a trash can later (I may or may not have personal experience with such things.). We’d run around for hours, having a blast. We’d get lemonade and cotton candy and silly photo booth pictures and he’d probably go out of his way to walk through those little sprinklers that cool you off on a hot day.
Wouldn’t it be fun to trade an emergency alarm faith for an amusement park walk with Jesus?
“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”
Job 8:21
“…I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
John 10:10
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