We’re a week into 2024 and does it bring you joy or anxiety about the future?

Life is a mixed can of nuts, I typically say. Or a perpetual rollercoaster, if you enjoy a fair.

In early December, I attended my oldest granddaughter’s outdoor choir performance at a local park. The town gifted free face painting, balloon art, and rides to all children. As I stood in line with my two younger grands, the adults discussed how unbelievable it was to offer FREE rides to everyone. (We’d read the signs for the usual cost).

The younger grands were interested in the airplanes, ladybugs, carousel, and other rides with minimum risk but still fun. Most were only three to five feet above the grass.

My oldest grand was interested in the Tilt-a-Whirl, the gigantic slides, the swings with centrifugal force, the Roundup that pins you to the circle and spins while the floor disappears, and the big scare—The Hammer, or rocket, that swings riders upside down and back and forth. That one didn’t entice her, but her friends rode it and screamed.

Free fun and excitement awaited the kids no matter what they chose, but the fear about risks or dangers influenced what they rode.

Adults are the same. How do we choose to take risks with the choices that entice us this year? Making simple choices often tie up and stall us from enjoying what’s next the same as the scary complicated ones. Is our age a factor?

Remember Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” (ESV)

Let’s pray for courage.