“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”

{Proverbs 31:25, NLT}

Don’t Take the Chicken Exit . . .

Our family visited an amusement park every summer when I was growing up. My favorite ride: a rollercoaster called the Tornado. Ironically, it was also the ride I dreaded the most.

When I stood in line with my dad, I lived in the tension of wanting to get on the ride, but fearing I would literally plummet to my death if I did. While inching forward in line, my stomach lurched. My breath came out in hot spurts.

When we reached the platform, I could see the sign that hung over a nearby doorway. It read simply, “Chicken Exit.” The Chicken Exit was an escape for anyone who decided, at the last minute, that they didn’t want to ride the Tornado after all. I almost always considered walking through the Chicken Exit, but I never once took the escape. I always got on the ride.

With Dad at my side, I felt brave. I’d step into the rollercoaster car. We’d click-click-click up the first hill, and then plunge straight to earth, before rocketing up another hill, and then another.

Dad and I would laugh through the whole ride. Sometimes I’d get brave enough to lift my hands into the air while the July sun beat down on us. When it was all over, I’d beg Dad to get back in the line again.

Now that I’m an adult, I see how life is a lot like waiting in line to ride the Tornado. We want to live life with adventure, but we feel the pull of the nearest Chicken Exit. Because we’re afraid.

Yet Scripture says God gives us strength for this adventure called life. Furthermore, God gives us the ability to laugh, even in the face of our fears!

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” {Proverbs 31:25}.

I am not naturally brave. When I think about the future, I sometimes want to take the easy way out. Laugh at the future? Let me confess to you that, some days, you’re more likely to find me rocking back and forth in a corner.

But then I remember what I learned on those July afternoons with Dad at my side. If I took the Chicken Exit, I would have missed out on all the fun. I would have missed out on the adventure my father intended for me.

The same goes for you. As the new week begins, your Heavenly Father is inviting you to take a seat next to Him. He won’t force you to get on the ride. He knows that you’ll be tempted to take the Chicken Exit. But if you step into the adventure, He’ll guarantee you the ride of your life. Together, you’ll laugh. You’ll marvel at the strength you didn’t know you had. You might just get brave enough to lift your hands in the air.

And then, don’t be surprised when you hear yourself say it out loud to your Heavenly Father: “Let’s do it again, Dad!”

Where do you need God to supernaturally clothe you with strength for the week ahead?

by Jennifer Dukes Lee

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