Carousels, Roller Coasters and Ferris Wheels...the Wayfarer

Carousels, Roller Coasters and Ferris Wheels

Hebrews 9:27 KJV
²⁷And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Calliope music fills the air as the smell of delicious treats wafts on a gentle breeze enticing those in attendance toward the many structures devoted to providing each delicacy available along the midway as crowds gather and children ooh and ah at the sights and sounds that draw their attention, directing it to the colors and movements that entice them to exchange their precious tickets, or allowances for the pleasures being offered.

Lines form for each of the rides, growing longer by the minute as impatience is overcome by the view of the painted beauty and the movement and cries of those already on the rides while they wait their turn to exchange what they have for what they see before them.

The horses go round and round, up  and down in a seemingly unending circle, each one a parody of the real thing, beautifully painted, carefully carved and put together by artisans valuing each line that is sculpted to resemble flowing manes and tails, each chasing the other in that endless circle.

Joy fills the hearts and faces of the small ones and stimulates their imagination of races being won, distances being traveled, treasures being taken as the gold rings are sought along the way.

Meanwhile, other lines slowly make their way to still more, more exciting and thrilling rides as bumper cars are filled to capacity, colliding constantly also progressing around a circular course, each collision intentional in the effort to "win" an unwinnable race.

The brightly decorated cars of the roller coaster beckon those able to "measure up" to required heights in order to ride around a track that also goes rapidly down the "hills" and more slowly up them, and even "loops the loop" taking breath from screaming occupants willingly searching for the thrill provided by them as a circle is completed once the intervening ups and downs have been traversed.

A few, perhaps older, prefer the view offered by the circular motion of the Ferris Wheel, also moving up and down, the seats rocking as it progresses from bottom to top, stopping from time to time offering a view only possible from the position in which it has halted its progress.

Variations of each of these rides is offered, along with variations of the thrill to be obtained by the seeker in attendance, some gentle in their allure, others alluring because of perceived danger, perceived daring and bravery of heart on the behalf of the rider in order to  remain on them until completion of the ride.

Between the rides, the treats that are offered  also beckon, both by sight and smell of cotton candy being spun, colored brightly, sparingly flavored, sought despite the major content of air that allows its substance to exist, only to melt with the first contact with moisture that robs it of the beauty and glamor that prompts its desire.

Prices are paid, willingly, eagerly, for both treat and ride that have a commonality that goes unheeded while awaiting them.

Their circularity, and temporary nature are ignored in anticipation of the short time of their availability.

Each of the rides has a beginning....each also has an end, whether the rider is fully satisfied, thrill fully met, or whether disappointment awaits because of the short period of time of its experience.

Year, after year, the midway continues to be visited by those in attendance searching continually for those selfsame satisfactions and disappointments... ending also year after year leaving memories of what has been experienced to be magnified until the next opportunity to get back on board for yet another ride destined for the same ending.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 KJV

¹⁵That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

So too are the lives of those attendees using the intervening time to repeat their searches for thrill and excitement and treats found on the perceived midway inhabited by them that has the same commonality already mentioned with regard to the "rides".

Sooner or later the ride ends, the thrill ends, the excitement dwindles and reality must be faced.

What is being exchanged for those thrills, like the tickets and allowances is spent, gone forever never to be returned to the one left only their memory.

Mark 8:36

King James Version (KJV)

³⁶ For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Perhaps the time has come to recognize that the temporary nature of the carousel, and its variants, is exceeded by the necessity of not only the intervening time between the rides, but the eternity that lies beyond the rides once they have completed their short circle.

 Spend the allowances given you, particularly the allowance of the eternal soul granted each,  wisely.

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer