Remember those metal merry-go-rounds at your neighborhood playground? If you were one of the “cool” kids, you’d be the one standing in the middle while everyone else sat on the edges hanging on for dear life. I swear, I have no idea how I avoided losing my pb&j while spinning around so fast it felt like we were about to take off into the atmosphere. But, it was fun. It was so fun in fact, that when mom or dad started calling you to get off because it was time to go, you’d ignore them and pretend not to hear just to get a few more rounds in.
But, getting off of that merry-go-round wasn’t just difficult because it was a blast. It was tough to decide exactly how you would achieve the dismount without flying off onto the dirt/rocks (not quite as soft of a landing as you’ll find at the modern day playgrounds) or having to be the bummer of the group by making everyone else slow down their own good time just so you could get off safely. After mustering up the courage, you put your foot out and let it drag a bit to bring the metal monster down to a reasonable speed allowing for an easier exit while keeping it from stopping altogether for the others. It seemed to work well for the most part.
Recently, I retired from being a hairstylist to pursue other things in life. When God called me to leave my successful (and quite “fun”) career of 15 years, I was terrified. How do I make that transition? Who will I be without that part of my identity? Will I even succeed at something new? Who knows. But, when God calls you to “put your foot out”, you know it’s time to move onto something else. Something just as great. Maybe even better.