A couple of weeks ago, while vacationing in Florida, I rode “Space Mountain.” This wasn’t my first time to ride it...I think we rode it in 2008 when we were there and I rode it when we visited the park many moons ago when I was growing up.
As I said, it wasn’t my first time to ride it...but it will likely be my last! Probably not just this particular roller coaster attraction but any big roller coaster. When I got off the ride, I felt like I’d been to an inexperienced chiropractor who had used me to “practice” manipulation!
I told Rachel (neither Monica nor Jamie had the desire to ride), as we were exiting, that this was probably my last big roller coaster ride. The picture that was taken on the ride showed how much “fun” I was having (Rachel had a big smile, I was holding on for all I was worth).
When I was younger, roller coasters were a thrilling and enjoyable experience. Now, I guess they are just an experience I want to get through. Before, I wanted to ride them; now, I ride them only because my oldest daughter wanted to ride.
It’s kind of funny if you think about it: something that used to thrill me and that I really enjoyed no longer has the same type of attraction to me. Once I got back on solid ground, the ground wasn’t so solid: it felt like the ground was moving for a couple of hours.
That is the same way some sins work. We are convinced that they are “not so bad” by the society we live in. We are told, “You’re young, you need to ‘sow your wild oats!’”
But then, as we get older, we realize that those “oats” that were sowed ultimately have to be harvested. And when that happens, it will be far worse than a mild case of motion sickness that goes away in a couple of hours.
I was always taught to consider how my present actions would shape my future. Our present does shape our future. So don’t do anything today that you will regret tomorrow or that you will regret for eternity!