Over the past few years my wife and I, along with some of our children and grandchildren, have made trips to Disney World and Six Flags over Georgia. We go for the fun and fellowship of family plus having the opportunity of experiencing the festive atmosphere and thrills that go along with these theme parks.
I must say I really enjoyed my times in these parks even though I am not young as I once was and it is hard for me to keep up with the younger generation. Seeing the joy and merriment on their faces and in the actions of my young grandchildren, especially if it is their first trip, is the best part of the trip for me. The fast rides such as roller coasters and water rides aren’t my favorites anymore but in times past I could keep up with the best of them. I don’t think my wife has aged any because she is still game for most anything that the grandchildren want to do.
One of the biggest draw backs at these parks is the long lines. It really bothers me to wait in line for 30 to 45 minutes for a ride that lasts less than two minutes and also jerks you to death. Over the past few years these amusement parks have come up with the idea of not waiting in these lines if you want to pay extra over the extremely high price of getting in the park. It is called a fast pass at Disney World and a flash pass at Six Flags.
If you purchase one of the passes you can skip the long lines and walk to the front of the line or go in another entrance to gain quick access to the ride. This does save some time and gets you on more rides if you are in the park for only a day, but it also gains you some sneering looks and crude remarks from the ones you are passing by and getting in front of. I am most likely to be one of those in the long lines because I will not pay or can’t afford the exorbent extra fees just to push in front of someone else. Whatever happened to the virtue of patience?
On one of my trips to one of these parks I started thinking about the game of life and do we have a fast pass to reach our destination? Is there such a thing and would we purchase it if we had the opportunity? So many people in today’s society feel that what they do for others, what they do for the church or giving of their time and money will get them to heaven. While all of this is good it will not get you to heaven. There is no fast pass to paradise. It does not cost you anything to insure that you get a ticket to live with Jesus. It is free. All you have to do is admit that you are a sinner and confess them to the Heavenly Father. Ask Him to come into your heart and be a part of you and when you do this He will come into you if you are sincere in what you are doing.
When you ask Jesus to lead your life you will put down worldly things even though they will remain desirous. Jesus told us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one come to the Father except through Me.”
Follow Jesus and trust in Him and the ways of the world will become less important. There is no fast past to Heaven and it is not by works that get you there. It is faith in Jesus and it is free for the asking.
