Olympic InspirationSample

I Was Along for the Ride

Once you begin to see what God is doing you begin to realize that your life will never be the same.

I love everything about flying. From the convenience of it to the thrill of taking off and landing, when I step onto a plane, it's like being a kid again. There is only one thing that many of us do not like about flying, though, and that is giving up control. When I travel by car, I am the one behind the wheel and in control. When flying we surrender control to the pilot. We are along for the ride.

Olympic snowboarder, Kelly Clark, knows a thing or two about flying. Only she does it by controlling a board strapped to her feet! She also knows when to let go and surrender. Especially in light of God's loving and relentless pursuit of her heart.

During a 30-second run down the halfpipe, Kelly needs to control every movement and muscle. However, when it came to her faith, she gave up that control to the Lord to go along for the ride that He wanted to take her on. Giving up control is not easy. We like control, whether an Olympic snowboarder, executive, student, or work-at-home mom. We want to do what we want, when and where we want. But, in James 4:7-10, Jesus’ half-brother invites us to surrender ourselves to God. It starts with humbly laying down our life and turning from our need to be in control. It is then at that point of surrender that we find the joy of going along for the ride our Heavenly Father wants to take us on.

Application Questions:

• What is the Lord inviting you to surrender to Him today? Spend some time praying through that with Him. Is there one step of surrender you can take today?
• Where do you see God moving in a friend’s life? Today, take a moment to encourage them to walk in faith and go along for the ride the Lord wants to take them on. You never know what your word of encouragement might mean.