I'm not really a fair guy.
I know that's probably a controversial statement in some circles. I have friends who are absolutely diehard fair people. They don't just go to the fair. They practically move in.
They're there every day. They know when every event is happening. They ride all the rides. They eat all the food. They have opinions about which vendor has the best everything.
That's just never really been me. It's probably been close to ten years since I had been to a fair, and before that, it was probably another ten years. So when the county fair came to our little town this year, going wasn't exactly at the top of my list.
But we live in a small rural town, and our town happens to be the county seat. So when the fair comes to town, it's kind of a big deal. And this year, we decided to take the kids.
It was the last day of the fair, and as soon as we pulled in, the kids were already pointing out rides.
"I want to do that one!"
"I want to ride that one!"
"Look at that one!"
They were excited before we even got out of the car.
Before hitting the rides, we walked through the barns and checked out the animals. We saw the cows, the pigs, the sheep, and all the baby animals. The kids loved it.
Then came the rides.
And apparently, when you are ten and eight years old and have never really been to a fair, you don't ease into things. You go straight for the crazy stuff.
One of the first rides they wanted to ride was one of those giant spinning rides where you stand inside a circular wall, the whole thing starts spinning faster and faster, and eventually you're basically stuck to the wall while the entire thing tilts upward. I'm sure there's a perfectly normal name for it, I just call it "Why Would Anyone Do This?"
My son is ten. My daughter is eight. Neither one of them had really ridden fair rides before. And that's the ride they chose.
I stood outside watching as the thing started spinning. It was moving so fast that I could barely see them. Every once in a while, as it came around, I'd catch a glimpse of my kids. My daughter had this look on her face that was somewhere between excitement and, "I'm beginning to question every decision I've ever made."
But when the ride ended, they got off and wanted to do more. Apparently, they had discovered a new addiction.
My son eventually spotted another ride he really wanted to try. This one was basically a giant circle with a cart that swung back and forth. It would gain momentum until eventually the cart went completely upside down.
I watched it for a while and thought, "Absolutely not." My son, however, thought, "Absolutely yes." My daughter took one look at it and decided she had reached her limit. She went to ride something a little less terrifying.
My son climbed in. And as the ride started, I could see the excitement on his face. Then it started moving. And that's when his expression changed.
There was this moment where I could see it in his face. It was the look of a kid thinking, "Oh no. What did I just do?" As the ride picked up speed, I could see the panic setting in. Eventually, his head was down and he was holding on for dear life.
I laughed. Not because I was making fun of him...Okay, maybe a little.
When the ride finally stopped, he got out and came walking toward me I asked, "How was it?" He said, "Dad, I was so scared." I said, "I could tell! Did you pass out? Your head was down half the time!" He looked at me and said, "No. I put my head down and held on as tight as I could." Then he added: "I just prayed that God would keep me safe and get me through the ride."
And I laughed. But then I thought about it. Because isn't that sometimes exactly what life feels like?
Sometimes we climb onto things because we're excited about them. Sometimes we choose the ride ourselves. Sometimes we have no idea what we're getting ourselves into, and then the ride starts. Suddenly, what looked exciting from the ground isn't nearly as exciting when you're strapped into it.
Life can feel like that.
There are seasons when everything seems to be going great. We're enjoying the ride. We're laughing. We're looking around and thinking, "This is pretty awesome." And then there are other seasons when everything starts spinning.
Things happen that we didn't expect. Plans change. Doors close. People disappoint us. We lose something we love. We face financial pressure, family struggles, uncertainty, disappointment, grief, or simply the exhaustion that comes from trying to keep everything together.
And sometimes there's nothing we can do to stop the ride. We can't make it slow down. We can't jump off. We can't control what happens next. Sometimes all we can do is hold on, and pray. "God, just get me through this."
That's not always a very sophisticated prayer. It's not a beautifully worded prayer. And it's not the kind of prayer you would necessarily write in a devotional book. But I think God hears those prayers.
Sometimes faith isn't having everything figured out. Sometimes faith is putting your head down, holding on as tight as you can, and trusting that God is still there even when you can't see what's happening.
The Bible says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalm 46:1)
Notice that it doesn't say God keeps us from ever having trouble. It says He's present in it.
There will be rides in life that we wouldn't have chosen. There will be moments when we're scared. There will be seasons when we don't understand what God is doing. And there may even be moments when our prayer is nothing more than, "God, please just get me through this."
That's okay. Hold on. Pray. Trust Him. And remember that the ride doesn't last forever. Eventually, the ride stops.
My son got off that ride, looked at me, and immediately started talking about what he wanted to ride next. That's another thing I love about kids. They can be terrified one minute and ready for another adventure the next.
Maybe there's something we could learn from that. Maybe whatever you're going through right now feels like you're upside down, holding on for dear life. Maybe you can't see what's coming next. Maybe all you can do is put your head down and pray.
Then do that. Hold on. God is with you.
And when the ride finally stops, you may just find yourself looking back and realizing that the God you were praying would get you through it was with you the entire time.
