By Jenna Ebener
A reflection
I still remember the first time I got to experience big roller coasters as a child. I was in my early teens and we were at Universal Studios in Florida. I was nervously excited waiting in line, not knowing what to expect. At the first drop on the Incredible Hulk, I never looked back.
Growing up in a small town in the Midwest, we did not have many opportunities to ride roller coasters. The handful of times I was able to go to a big theme park, I thoroughly enjoyed each experience.
It had been well over 20 years since I had been on a roller coaster when I went back to Universal Studios last year. A lot had changed in that time. I suffer from 24/7 headaches, and I was worried roller coasters would not be as fun as I remembered. I did not need to worry; they were even better than I remembered.
The exhilaration of going 70 mph through drops and corkscrews is a thrill I hope I never grow tired of. I felt more alive than I have in years, and I was able to let my inner child out. Oddly enough, I was even able to experience a deep sense of peace and stillness. There is a moment on the Velocicoaster where you pause for about a second at the top of a deep drop. While it is so brief, I felt like time held still. Right before we dropped, I was able to appreciate the fireworks that went off at that exact second from Harry Potter World above Hogwarts castle. I reveled in the beauty of that perfect timing as I was thrust back into the thrill of the ride.
That moment reminds me of a recent Sunday reading from Kings. Elijah is waiting to hear from God. God sends all sorts of calamities, including fire and an earthquake. Yet, God was not in that noise; but he appeared as “a tiny whispering sound” (1 Kings 19:12).
No matter how chaotic your life is right now, there are still opportunities for silence, and God is there. I recently heard something on K-Love radio that struck a chord with me. A listener said “teachers are quiet during the test.” When in school, we had/have teachers who are there to hopefully guide and instruct us. We can ask questions and problem-solve. Yet, when it is time for a test, they are quiet. They have taught us all they could and they trust us to take the next steps towards growth. They are present, but they are silent. Even if we struggle, they cannot guide us in that moment, but they are still there; they still care.
When we struggle in life, God may be quiet, but he is always there. We may not hear him, but we can still seek solace in his presence. We just have to pause enough to notice him. Where do you see God despite the noise all around you? “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
(Jenna Ebener, a graduate of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, is a social worker at a school in Colorado for students with a combination of medical, cognitive and behavior disabilities. She relies on God every day to aid her on this wonderful, yet intense journey.)
