Lessons from Disney World

    This past November, our family had the opportunity to take the high school marching band on a trip to Disney World. Already some of you are chuckling at the chaos that 45 high school students and our five girls could create on an action packed four-parks-in-four-days "vacation". Surprisingly, the entire trip brought up few and minor mishaps, one of them being that we left our middle child in the bathroom in "England" at Epcot, only to realize that she was missing by the time we had walked to "Canada". (It sounds worse than it was, as Canada is only a few yards away from England at Epcot. But I discovered that I could still sprint, even in my 40's, as I raced frantically back to get her. She had just exited the bathroom and was beginning to look around for us when I showed up... Why did it have to be the middle child?)

  The older girls had been plotting how to best use our time to hit as many "thrill" rides as possible in each park.  But, I had to remind them that the 7 year old had not yet ridden any roller coasters in her life, and if they pushed her to the thrill rides too quickly, she would hate them and fear them forever. 

  The 7 year old and I had talked before the trip. She likes to prepare herself for things, and has a bit of a hidden fear-streak in her. She asked me about the rides, and told me flat-out that she didn't want to go on any rides that were in the dark, went upside down, or were scary. This discussion took place over the lunch table, and I could see the look of concern coming over the older girls faces as the saw their doom to ride Winnie the Pooh, and It's a Small World, and like rides for their whole 1st time at Disney.

  I told the seven year that she didn't need to worry, even about the scary rides (what constitutes scary at age 7 is a relative scale) as I was sure Disney paid a good amount of money to make sure that the rides were as safe as possible, and that no one would really get hurt at their parks.  Careful what you say, children will listen. (Thanks Sondheim, I understand this now.)

  Our first day, we went to the Magic Kingdom and started off slowly with the tea cups, and then the Dumbo ride. The older girls were getting antsy, but I assured them their patience to warm the youngest up would pay off for the rest of the time. After Dumbo, the 7 year old looked at me and announced that she was ready to ride the new Snow White Dwarve's roller coaster. Okay, no Space Mountain, I grant you, but definitely in and out of the dark, and definitely fast and more thrilling.  She loved it, and thus she went right into the thrill-seeker category of her older sisters, with the caveat  that she would NOT go on rides in the dark.

 Day four rolls around and the weather was horrific. Rain in sheets instead of drops made puddles the size of Rhode Island all over the parks. At the Animal Kingdom, we huddled under a small rooftop trying to find an indoor ride that we could get to quickly to wait out the next swell in the storm.  We found ourselves at the Dinosaur ride, not realizing that it would be entirely in the dark with the added bonus of large dinosaurs jumping out at us to scare the riders.  OOPS, didn't think that through well. And as the 7 year old sat behind me with the oldest girl and their uncle, and we turned the first corner in the pure dark, I began to panic. I thought we were going to undo all our hard work in one frightful ride. I thought we had ruined her trust. I reached my hand behind me and felt her head tipped downward, but I couldn't hear her screaming.

 As we got off the ride, Ryan and I turned to the youngest, and asked her how she liked it. She smiled at us and said, "I'm glad Mama told me about the rides not hurting anyone. I just closed my eyes and remembered that no one would get hurt." Basically, she decided just to close her eyes and trust what I told her.  

 Wow, the faith of a child. Because she trusted that we wouldn't lie to her, she was able to act on faith when her circumstances were not to her liking. I was so proud of her, and deeply convicted in my heart.  Am I trusting what God promises to me in the scriptures are true?  Do I close my eyes (so to speak) when the circumstances of my life are not to my liking, and remind myself of God's Truth to comfort and protect my soul? (Ps. 23)

 

  God is not a man that He should lie. He has proven Himself trustworthy time and again. So when things like our monthly support being at 16% stare me in the face, I must remind myself that He will provide where He leads, and that He makes all things beautiful in His time.  (Ecc. 3:11)

 The circumstances that we see in our lives are much like the facade that Disney portrays all over their parks. There is another world to Disney behind-the-scenes, as Ryan and the four older girls got to see first hand when their ride literally stopped on the slopes of Mt. Everest.  After 45 minutes, and a trip down the stairs inside the mountain, our family was finally reunited. They assured me that things look different "Back Stage".  I wonder how different things would look to us if we could see all that God was doing behind the "show" of our life's circumstances.

  All I really need to remember is that He who promised is faithful, and He is not a man that He should lie.  If I can just get that through my thick head, I will be able to weather any uncertainty in the circumstantial scenes of my life, resting in the knowledge that nothing can erase my name which He has graven on His hand. (Isa 49:16)