Six Flags!

Some would no doubt consider it a strange "Sabbath kick-off", but for me a trip to Six Flags Over Texas (in Arlington) was just the ticket! Between my love of roller coasters, the nostalgia this place holds, and the healthy benefits of fresh air and sunshine, it was fantastic. Oh, and the company was pretty great, too. The only thing that could have made it better would have been to have my "OG Six Flags fam" along--aka, my family and the Vests, of course!

Six Flags has always been about facing and overcoming fear for me. I was a very fearful/timid child, and as an adult looking back I think one of the best things my parents did for my little anxious self was take me to ride roller coasters!! (I would insert the "tears of joy" emoji here if I could!) I was coaxed and cajoled on to rides I was hesitant about, but never forced to ride anything--though I waited in every line with them and I was not allowed to complain. Every year, there were rides where I would choose to step across and wait while my family rode without me. But almost every year, I would let myself get talked on to one more than the year before...and so, slowly but surely, I built up my roller coaster portfolio. Who knows, one day they may even successfully get me back on the Shockwave!

This year, as we climbed into our seats to ride the "new" (vastly improved!!) Texas Giant, I flashed back to a childhood memory. I don't remember how old I was, maybe 11?? The night before our annual trip to Six Flags (home school day!), I was battling some serious anxiety about riding the "big" roller coasters. Suddenly, from somewhere in my memory, a verse popped in to my head--"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (yes, all my childhood memory verses are KJV) Now, I'm aware that applying this to roller coaster riding is taking the verse way out of context. Jesus said it to His disciples in the context of evangelism (the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20). However, since I'm pretty sure He is actually with me even on a roller coaster, I would say the principle still applies. And, it sure brought a lot of comfort to my little freaked out heart!! The next day, as we got on ride after ride, I would quote that verse to myself all the way up the first hill and let it run through my head over and over as we sped along at breakneck speed around death-defying curves and down stomach-dropping hills. It turned riding a roller coaster into a faith-building event for me!

Lately, life has felt like a roller coaster. Spiritual highs and lows, emotional ups and downs...everything has felt really out of control and scary. I needed to ride some actual roller coasters to be reminded of a few things. 

1.  Jesus is still with me. Whether He "feels" close or far away, He has promised to be with me always and that's a truth that never changes. 
2. Roller coasters are exciting BECAUSE they're scary. But you know that you'll survive (at least, most likely). When life feels out of control, I need to remember that it is never outside of what God can control. Just like I trust the seat belt/lap bar/track of a roller coaster to keep the danger to a reasonable limit, if I will just trust in God's control over my life I could actually enjoy the crazy twists, turns, ups and downs that are part of life's adventure.
3. Roller coasters are best enjoyed with friends. There were a couple of rides that I really wanted to ride again, but no one else did. They would have been happy to wait for me while I rode again by myself, but I realized: I'm not a "ride a roller coaster alone" kind of person. Except...I have been. I've been riding the roller coaster life has had me on mostly by myself. No wonder it hasn't been fun! The Lord reminded me, "I've given you a community for a reason!" I'm still figuring this thing out, but I'm learning that when I invite deeply trusted individuals onto my crazy little ride, it becomes a lot better.
4. Sometimes, it's good to slow down a little. For all my love of adrenaline-pumping roller coaster craziness, one of my favorite things at Six Flags is the Gunslinger. This is the "swing ride", where you buckle into a swing and go in circles that get increasingly higher, then slowly lower you back to earth. It's a sweet few minutes of just relaxing, feeling the wind in your hair, and enjoying the beautiful view you get from up in the air. Sometimes, I need to intentionally hit the pause button on life and settle in to rest in Jesus, and let Him give me His perspective on life. My life, specifically. It's actually kind of a breathtaking view, because it's all painted in the rich hues of His immeasurable grace and kindness.

So, now that I have waaaay over-spiritualized an amusement park...let me wrap up with my top 5 rides of Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington:

1. The "new" Texas Giant. Oh, my goodness!! The improvements are incredible! It doesn't make you feel like your brains are going to be rattled right out of your head anymore, for one thing, and there are some fun little additions near the end. This was the last thing we rode, and if everyone hadn't been so tired already we would have ridden it multiple times!!
2. Batman the Ride. This is one of those that I resisted riding for awhile, until one year when my sister didn't get to come and my brothers (including my "extra" brother, Michael Vest) talked me into riding it "for Amber". Let's just say, I rode it twice that year and I've never looked back!! This is one of the smoothest, coolest rides... and I kind of love watching my feet dangle.
3. Runaway Mountain. I'm pretty sure this is the first ride I ever rode with my eyes open...because it's in the dark so you can't see anything, anyway!!
4. La Vibora. It used to be the "Bobsled", until they got serious about naming the rides to match the "country" they are in, so since it's in Spain it needed a Spanish name! This is the one that only has an actual track for parts of the ride, so you fly around corners bobsled style.
5. Hall of Justice: Battle for Metropolis. This is one of those interactive game type rides, where the car you sit in doesn't really move very much and you have a "gun" and you get to shoot at the bad guys. It's fantastic! Who wouldn't love to help Superman and Batman take down Lex Luther and the Joker, right?!

(all photo credits to Marci Menchaca, because I managed to forget to take any...)