The Ferris Wheel

The Ferris Wheel - The Invitation to Go Higher

"Once You Have Tasted the Taste of the Sky, You Will Forever Look Up." - Leonardo da Vinci

Cotton candy, cardigans, and red lips—top that with some lively swing music from the ’40s, and the mood is all jazzed up. But then the rhythmic beat slowly fades into silence as the tension rises. Hanging from a bar on the Ferris wheel, Noah insists: “I’m going to ask one more time. Will you, or will you not go out with me?”

The scene is ridiculous, yet somehow playful.

It’s the Ferris Wheel scene from The Notebook. Noah (played by Ryan Gosling) dangles daringly, awaiting Allie’s answer (played by Rachel McAdams). If you weren’t paying attention before that moment, you certainly are now.

It’s not often that I sit down to watch a movie, but it had been years since I’d seen The Notebook. On a rainy Tuesday a few months ago, after dropping the kids off at school, I came home, popped in the movie, and curled up under a blanket. The Ferris Wheel scene might have been the only one where I didn’t need a tissue (exaggerating… but only a little).

Referred to as a sentimental fantasy, The Notebook celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024. Based on the 1996 best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks, the film tells an emotional love story that intertwines destiny and romance.

Though The Notebook doesn’t fall into the “Christian movie” category, Nicholas Sparks once made a profound statement about it: “The story is a metaphor for God’s love for us all. The theme is everlasting, unconditional love.”

That beautiful truth echoes throughout Scripture. David writes in Psalm 36:5, Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

The Pinnacle of the Ride

Why began a move with a Ferris Wheel?

Why not—the lights, the grandeur, the excitement. The French had captured imaginations with the Eiffel Tower in 1889. Then, in 1893, engineer George Ferris responded with his own marvel: a giant wheel reaching for the heavens, sometimes called “Ezekiel’s wheel in the sky.”

We could easily spin metaphors here—from the ups and downs of life to simply enjoying the ride. But I want to focus on a single moment: the pinnacle. That instant when the structure of the wheel disappears, completely vanishes. Suddenly, it’s just you and the open sky...

Each day holds moments like that—sacred pauses that awaken us to the present and draw us closer to Christ. They happen in joy, in sorrow, and in everything in between. But they are easily missed unless we pause, listen, and make space for the whisper of God’s Spirit.

As Jeremiah 6:16 reminds us: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.

Learning “Le Pause”

When my daughter was a toddler, I stumbled across Pamela Druckerman’s book Bébé Day by Day: 100 Keys to French Parenting. One phrase stuck with me: Le Pause.

French parents don’t immediately rush to soothe a baby’s every whimper. They pause. They wait, hoping their child will learn to settle themselves.

While I wasn’t very successful with “Le Pause” in sleep training (my babies slept right beside me), the idea transformed how I parented in other ways. I pause before discipline, remembering God’s grace toward me. I pause before letting the world of screens seep into my children’s minds. I pause when they need me, showing them that my work matters too, but that I will be there.

This pause creates space for the Holy Spirit to move.

Saint Augustine once prayed,“O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.”

A Sweet Example

One evening last summer, just after her shower, my daughter burst with excitement: “Mom, I made up a dance—I want to teach it to you!”

I almost said no. It was late, and I treasure bedtime. But instead, I paused and said, “Okay, show me.”

Soon, we were pretending to cast fishing poles and leaning way back as we “counted the stars,” dancing to Fishin’ in the Dark by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

The sweetest part was jogging in slow motion as we giggled and sang, “just movin’ slow.”

That pause created a memory I’ll never forget.

Selah—The Sacred Pause

Scripture has its own pause: Selah. Found 71 times in the Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk, its meaning is debated. Some say it signals a musical interlude, others a moment of reflection. Perhaps it means “to lift up.”

Whatever its origin, Selah invites us to pause and reflect on God’s truth. In those sacred silences, words are not always needed. God’s love is simply experienced.

A Love That Endures

At the end of The Notebook, there is an emotional and heartfelt pause, as Noah and Allie pass from this life holding hands. It’s heartbreaking yet beautiful.

And even that kind of love—deep, faithful, and sacrificial—is only a shadow of God’s unconditional love for us.

Psalm 136:1 says, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

His love carries us through confusion and pain, and brings us back to joy, clarity, and healing.

As Nicholas Sparks wrote in The Notebook:“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds.”

God’s love is the best love. It awakens our souls, sets our hearts ablaze, and fills our minds with peace. So let us pause. Let us Selah. Let us look up, for the One who loves us with an everlasting love is calling us higher.

3-2-1

3 Scripture Verses, 2 Quotes,

and 1 Question to Consider

3 Scripture Verses:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. Ecclesiastes 1:6

Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah.

Psalm 68: 19

2 Quotes:

If there's a road I should walk

Help me find it

If I need to be still

Give me peace for the moment

- “Help Me Find It” by Sidewalk Prophets

“Keep looking up, that’s the secret of life.” ~ Snoopy.

1 Question to Consider:

Our Maker, the lover of our souls, longs for us to be still in His presence. Are

we making space for that?