roller coasters and living a life of love

I do not like Roller Coasters.

I am not a fan of Amusement Parks, 

there is not a lot in them that amuses me.

The few things I enjoyed about them when I was young:

1) The ride where you ride standing up and the floor drops away. 

    I am not sure those are still around. 

    Weird, but they didn't scare me at all. 

2) The Merry Go Round/Carousel

    When I was a child my grandmother and I used to ride together               at her company picnic held at Chippewa Lake Amusement Park.

3) Cotton Candy

     Available just about anywhere now.

3) People watching.

    Which I can do for free in any public place.

When Bill and I were youth sponsors 30+ years ago, 

we took our youth group to King's Island.

The teens begged me to ride the new Roller Coaster-

The Beast.

1. The Beast is a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. When it opened in the spring of 1979 in the Rivertown section of the park, it was the longest, tallest, and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. Wikipedia

They badgered me.

They begged.

They badgered.

They begged some more.

The things we do for love...

I finally relented and told them I would ride-

the Beastie.

Yes, the Beastie.

The little kid roller coaster.

I can assure you my hands were NOT in the air,

there were in a firm death grip on the bar across my lap.

When I made it off, barely alive, 

I vowed I would never again ride a roller coaster. 

Ever.

Fast forward a few years.

We move to Kentucky.

KCC hosts a family event at Camden park, 

an Amusement Park similar to my beloved Chippewa Lake. 

How could we not take our children?

Kiddie rides-we watched our little ones have fun.

We moved over to the Major Rides.

Haunted House ride-check.

Dodgem cars- check, good one for daddy

Train Ride-check

Log Flume-check

(Which is a roller coaster that ends in water.

I am still trying to figure out why I liked that one.)

Tilt-a-Whirl-check.

Tumbler-check

Roller Coaster-I'll pass.

"Please mommy".

Haunted House ride-check

Dodgem Cars-I'll watch round two as well

Train Ride-of course!

Log Flume-without a doubt!

Tilt-a-Whirl-check.

Tumbler-okay

Roller Coaster-

"Please mommy."

"Please Donnette."

Sometimes love motivates us to take a chance,

to do something that is hard,

simply because it is important to the one asking.

I relented.

I rode it.

I enjoyed it.

I found myself asking the kids and Bill who would ride with me next.

I put my hands in the air!

Living a life of love is like a roller coaster ride with its steep ups, diving downs, sharp curves and "take your breath away" moments.

I choose this ride,

this living a life of love,

strapped in,

hanging on for dear life,

scared out of my wits sometimes.

I choose this ride,

knowing full well that

love is hard,

love involves taking risks.

I choose this ride,

occasionally wondering why I ever thought it was a good idea.

I live this life of love with my hands in the air in prayer, 

relying on God to give me what I need.

I continually find joy on this ride.

And sometimes I find myself raising my hands in sheer pleasure.

I am eager to find others who want to ride with me.

Why?

Because God is love, and loving is important to Him.

"A new commandment I give to you, 

that you love one another: 

just as I have loved you, 

you also are to love one another. 

By this all people will know that you are My disciples, 

if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-35