I love going to amusement parks and riding the roller coasters. The bigger and faster the better.

But there is that moment, just before you take off, that is always unnerving.

You are strapped in and completely at the mercy of the park. You have buckled your seat belt and pulled the harness over your shoulders.

I remember thinking, “If this thing goes off the tracks and lands up-side-down, I’m stuck in here.” It’s a claustrophobic feeling.

But that is all part of the thrill. What you are is totally committed to the ride. You are strapped in and there is no turning back.

It seems like forever and then, finally, you take off and it is all worth it.

At first you are slowly going up and up, and you are wondering what it’s going to be like when you arrive at the top and zoom down the other side.

You are looking at buildings way off in the distance, and the people down below are getting smaller and smaller.

Then you reach the top and off you go. You zip around, just knowing your train is going to fall off the tracks. But it doesn’t. It turns out to be a ton of fun.

Then, it pulls back into the station and they release you, and you run to the end of the line to go again.

What if you weren’t totally committed to the ride? What if you just put one foot on the seat because you were not sure you wanted to commit?

The train would leave the station and you would be standing there watching. You would miss the ride.

I contend that many aspects of our lives are the same way. Parenting, marriage, the pursuit of dreams – if we only partially commit, we will be left standing at the station.

It takes total commitment to so many things or they simply do not work. A half-hearted parent or partner is not going to see the ride through.

We must be strapped in and committed. We click the buckle and say, “I’m not backing out. I’m putting my whole life into this journey and I’m not leaving this seat until the ride is over. There may be ups and downs and some scary moments, but I‘m going to grit my teeth and face whatever is thrown at me.”