Roller Coaster

You take me on a wild ride. 

You spin me around faster than the speed of light, 

You throw me down to the pits

You raise me to the summits,

You lift me to soar beside the eagles on high

But then in one fell swoop, you drag me down and I plummet,

You fling me around like a raggedy puppet. 

You afflicted me with hell and high water 

You plunged me through the mire 

You tangled me in a barrage of spades

You surrounded me with towering blockades 

You lobbed me with poisonous grenades 

Punctured my heart like a hailstorm of blades 

You shoved me into a corner 

You strangled me in paralyzing manacles 

You plighted me with more than ten plagues 

You engulfed me and I sank in capsizing waves 

You surrounded me by beasts who tackled me 

You exiled me in trenches of devastation 

You abandoned me to deserts of desolation 

You discarded me to the grips of annihilation 

You banished me to faraway lands 

You condemned me to the claws of the devil 

You relinquished me to the clutches of malice 

God, don’t you think that is heartlessly callous? 

And then from the caverns of reclusion 

You lifted me from captivity 

You elevated me from the shackles of bondage 

You undid the anchors that held me hostage 

Like the very first blossoming buds 

After the long, mercilessly harsh winter 

You unfurled my spirit, you showed me redemption 

You paved my way with light, you granted me direction 

You lifted me from the squalor 

You saved me from depravity 

You delivered me from a world of strife 

You revived my heart and you gave me life 

You infused me with unfettered hope 

You bestowed me abundances of strength 

You embraced me with blessings of illumination 

Miracles and miracles beyond imagination 

You ensconced me in a warm hug 

You shone upon me your dazzling light 

You provided for me, you revealed your face 

And I could feel your presence and everlasting grace 

Thousands of years ago, you delivered your nation

From the darkness of the Egyptian exile 

You rescued them from teetering on the precipice 

You brought salvation, the mighty exodus 

And although I don’t understand why the suffering 

Why they had to endure the wretched misery of exile 

Why the torture had to precede liberation 

I have faith that it was needed to form one invincible nation 

The pain was the catalyst for this magnificent creation. 

You take me on a wild ride. 

You spin me around faster than the speed of light, 

You throw me down to the pits

You raise me to the summits,

You lift me to soar beside the eagles on high

But then in one fell swoop, you drag me down and I plummet,

You fling me around like a raggedy puppet. 

But God, even when I feel that you reject me

Even when I feel unloved and discarded 

I know that you are here with me 

I know that there is a plan and a purpose for me. 

I used to think that the lone footsteps on the ground 

Are mine alone, 

That I was trekking a solitary journey 

But as I’m climbing over rocks, mountains, and boulders

I understand that those footsteps are yours, for you carry me on your shoulders.