Alive Youth Church Weekly,
I think we’ve all come to accept that there are highs and lows in our faith and in our relationship with Jesus.
Students are more commonly labelled with this. There’s this unspoken understanding that because you’re young, you haven’t quite figured out consistency yet. That your faith will naturally swing up and down.
We have normalized the highs.
Those moments where everything clicks.
Where you feel close to God.
Where you’re hearing Him clearly, feeling His presence, and you want to tell everyone about what He’s doing in your life.
But with every mountain, there’s a valley, and we’ve normalized those too.
The seasons where doubt creeps in.
Where faith doesn’t feel as strong as it used to.
Where motivation is low, and God feels distant or quiet.
And we’ve learned to shrug and say:
“This is just part of it.”
“This is just a season.”
“Everyone goes through this.”
But here’s the question:
Is this actually okay?
Have we normalized something that maybe we should rethink?
There is real value in learning to stay faithful no matter how we feel. When emotions are low, when motivation fades, when we don’t clearly hear God. There’s something powerful about choosing to keep going anyway. That kind of faith is deep. It’s resilient. It’s real.
But I wonder if sometimes we stop there.
Because if we’re not careful, accepting the “low” can turn into settling in it.
Not because we want to stay there, but because we’ve convinced ourselves we don’t need to move.
“It’s just a season.”
“It’ll pass eventually.”
“This is normal.”
And while it may be common, that doesn’t always mean it’s where we’re meant to remain.
And in the midst of the mountaintop moments, have we started to lose our sense of wonder? Have we grown so comfortable in the good that we’ve become desensitized to how truly miraculous He is?
Spend a few minutes today to give this a read! We post every Tuesday, a little something to chew on throughout the week. I hope you are doing well. AYC is so thankful for you! Thanks for being you! We will see you on Sunday night, 6:30PM.
Keep reading for a conversation on Rollercoaster Ride vs Country Road Drive kinda of faith.
Have a great week AYC!
Rollercoaster Ride vs Country Road Drive
I think we’ve all come to accept that there are highs and lows in our faith and in our relationship with Jesus.
Students are more commonly labelled with this. There’s this unspoken understanding that because you’re young, you haven’t quite figured out consistency yet. That your faith will naturally swing up and down.
We have normalized the highs.
Those moments where everything clicks.
Where you feel close to God.
Where you’re hearing Him clearly, feeling His presence, and you want to tell everyone about what He’s doing in your life.
But with every mountain, there’s a valley, and we’ve normalized those too.
The seasons where doubt creeps in.
Where faith doesn’t feel as strong as it used to.
Where motivation is low, and God feels distant or quiet.
And we’ve learned to shrug and say:
“This is just part of it.”
“This is just a season.”
“Everyone goes through this.”
But here’s the question:
Is this actually okay?
Have we normalized something that maybe we should rethink?
There is real value in learning to stay faithful no matter how we feel. When emotions are low, when motivation fades, when we don’t clearly hear God. There’s something powerful about choosing to keep going anyway. That kind of faith is deep. It’s resilient. It’s real.
But I wonder if sometimes we stop there.
Because if we’re not careful, accepting the “low” can turn into settling in it.
Not because we want to stay there, but because we’ve convinced ourselves we don’t need to move.
“It’s just a season.”
“It’ll pass eventually.”
“This is normal.”
And while it may be common, that doesn’t always mean it’s where we’re meant to remain.
And in the midst of the mountaintop moments, have we started to lose our sense of wonder? Have we grown so comfortable in the good that we’ve become desensitized to how truly miraculous He is?
We begin to say:
"I've seen this before."
"This isn't as good as last time."
"When am I going to get something out of this?"
Have we gotten to confortable with the idea that our faith goes up, down, up, down, up, and down again? Has this become a routine that determines how we think about our faith and relationship with Jesus?
I think we need to learn the right way to respond to whatever season we’re in, because it’s more important to our faith than we realize. How we respond determines whether we stay stuck on the rollercoaster of highs and lows, bouncing from one to the next, or if we can recognize the pattern, learn from it, and actually grow in our faith through it.
What if, instead of being strapped into the ride, we learned to step off and see the tracks? To recognize what God is doing in every season, whether we’re on the climb, the drop, or stalled upside down in the middle?
How should we respond to the seasons?
When we’re in a high moment, it’s easy to ride the wave.
But what if those moments aren’t just meant to be experienced…
What if they’re meant to prepare us?
These seasons are opportunities to build something deeper. Habits, rhythms, and trust that don’t disappear when the feelings fade.
Instead of just enjoying the moment, we can grow faith in it. Spend intentional time with God, not just emotional time.
Build consistency in spiritual disciplines.
Let truth, not just feelings, shape your faith.
Because if our faith is built on emotional highs, it won’t last when emotions fade.
When we are in the low moments, this is where faith becomes a choice.
Not a feeling. But a decision.
It’s choosing to show up when you don’t feel like it.
To pray when it feels quiet.
To trust even when you don’t understand.
I've heard this said many times:
It’s okay to walk through a valley.
It’s not where we’re meant to live.
Why does this matter?
Because how we handle the highs affects how we survive the lows.
And how we respond in the lows shapes how we experience the highs.
If we’re only joyful when things are good, we’ll crumble when they’re not.
If our faith depends on emotional moments, it won’t carry us very far.
The goal isn’t a faith that constantly jumps from high to low.
I’m not looking for a "rollercoaster ride faith." Rollercoasters are fun for a few minutes. But there's a reason you only spend a few days in Disneyland, and why the rides only last a few minutes each. If you're on the ride forever, day after day, after all the twists and turns, ups and downs, you'll be sick and not want to visit there ever again. Don't let the rollercoaster determine your faith and leave you sick, not wanting to be with Jesus anymore.
Instead, I’m looking for a "country road drive faith."
Not something built on constant emotional spikes and drops.
but something steady, consistent, and smooth.
A faith that keeps moving forward.
A faith that doesn’t fall apart in the valley or get obsessed with the mountains.
Because highs and lows may come…
But we don’t have to be controlled by them.
I think we need to learn the right way to respond to whatever season we’re in, because it’s more important to our faith than we realize. How we respond determines whether we stay stuck on the rollercoaster of highs and lows, bouncing from one to the next, or if we can recognize the pattern, learn from it, and actually grow in our faith through it.
What if, instead of being strapped into the ride, we learned to step off and see the tracks? To recognize what God is doing in every season, whether we’re on the climb, the drop, or stalled upside down in the middle?
How should we respond to the seasons?
When we’re in a high moment, it’s easy to ride the wave.
But what if those moments aren’t just meant to be experienced…
What if they’re meant to prepare us?
These seasons are opportunities to build something deeper. Habits, rhythms, and trust that don’t disappear when the feelings fade.
Instead of just enjoying the moment, we can grow faith in it. Spend intentional time with God, not just emotional time.
Build consistency in spiritual disciplines.
Let truth, not just feelings, shape your faith.
Because if our faith is built on emotional highs, it won’t last when emotions fade.
When we are in the low moments, this is where faith becomes a choice.
Not a feeling. But a decision.
It’s choosing to show up when you don’t feel like it.
To pray when it feels quiet.
To trust even when you don’t understand.
I've heard this said many times:
It’s okay to walk through a valley.
It’s not where we’re meant to live.
Personally, I prefer to jog or even sprint through the valleys.
Instead of settling, we stay active, we keep pursuing God, even when it feels dry.
We stay in community instead of isolating.
We remind ourselves of the truth often, not just the emotions we feel.
Instead of settling, we stay active, we keep pursuing God, even when it feels dry.
We stay in community instead of isolating.
We remind ourselves of the truth often, not just the emotions we feel.
Why does this matter?
Because how we handle the highs affects how we survive the lows.
And how we respond in the lows shapes how we experience the highs.
If we’re only joyful when things are good, we’ll crumble when they’re not.
If our faith depends on emotional moments, it won’t carry us very far.
The goal isn’t a faith that constantly jumps from high to low.
I’m not looking for a "rollercoaster ride faith." Rollercoasters are fun for a few minutes. But there's a reason you only spend a few days in Disneyland, and why the rides only last a few minutes each. If you're on the ride forever, day after day, after all the twists and turns, ups and downs, you'll be sick and not want to visit there ever again. Don't let the rollercoaster determine your faith and leave you sick, not wanting to be with Jesus anymore.
Instead, I’m looking for a "country road drive faith."
Not something built on constant emotional spikes and drops.
but something steady, consistent, and smooth.
A faith that keeps moving forward.
A faith that doesn’t fall apart in the valley or get obsessed with the mountains.
Because highs and lows may come…
But we don’t have to be controlled by them.
I am reminded of a song, it goes like this:
I will praise you on the mountain
I will praise you when the mountains in my way
You're the summit where my feet are
So I will praise you in the valley all the same
no less God within the shadows
and no less faithful when the light leads me astray
cause youre the heaven where my heart is
in the highlands and the heartache all the same
- Highlands by Hillsong UNITED
I encourage you to find this song and take some time with all the lyrics.
In the highlands and in the heartache, God is the same. He isn’t the one moving back and forth; we are.
Our emotions shift. Our focus drifts. Our motivation rises and falls. But God doesn’t change.
He is constant. Steady. Faithful in every promise.
And if we’re being honest, I think we’d all agree on the main goal here:
We want to be more like Jesus. In every season.
I want to be more consistent, like He is.
And that kind of consistency doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with learning how to respond in both the highs and the lows.
Becoming more like Jesus isn’t about avoiding the highs or escaping the lows.
It’s about learning to walk with Him steadily through both.
Our emotions shift. Our focus drifts. Our motivation rises and falls. But God doesn’t change.
He is constant. Steady. Faithful in every promise.
And if we’re being honest, I think we’d all agree on the main goal here:
We want to be more like Jesus. In every season.
I want to be more consistent, like He is.
And that kind of consistency doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with learning how to respond in both the highs and the lows.
Becoming more like Jesus isn’t about avoiding the highs or escaping the lows.
It’s about learning to walk with Him steadily through both.
-Isaac Fehlen
Youth Pastor
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