A few weeks ago, my family went to Six Flags Over Texas. We were waiting in line for a roller coaster and I noticed that there was one car that was unoperational, sitting by itself on a separate piece of track. It looked like the others; no visible, outward signs of a problem. However, it was obviously carrying some sort of inner issue that caused it to be derailed.

“It’s like me,” I thought.

For the last several weeks, I’ve looked pretty much the same on the outside. But, inwardly, I’ve been carrying my own set of “issues” that have caused me to pull myself “off the track.” I’ve withdrawn from life, doing only what absolutely needed to be done, but truly unable to move forward.

Unoperational.

Derailed.

Sometimes life throws you a sucker punch so out of left field that it calls for a withdrawal of sorts. You need some time to get your head around your new reality. But, too often, we stay there beyond a reasonable, healthy amount of time. We start to become stagnant and then find ourselves rendered incapable of really stepping back into life.

This unhealthy place is where I’ve been. I’ve lingered too long on the rail to nowhere. This is not what God wants for me. He doesn’t want me watching life from the side; He wants to fix what’s broken. I’m the one, however, that has to pop the hood and allow Him access to the problem.

Tomorrow is the last day of this year. It’s been a crazy, mixed-up year to which I’m not ashamed to say “good riddance”. There is a new, fresh year dawning, but there are no guarantees that it won’t be another roller-coaster ride of gigantic proportions. However, if I don’t get back on the track, I might not have to deal with some of the twists, turns and drops, but I’ll totally miss the thrills of the ride.

My hands are up and my head’s thrown back.

I’m ready to fly.

Photo credit: Little Red Terror