Joy Ride | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Joy Ride | Previous Challenge Entry
By Shelley Arnett
05/20/06
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Boredom surrounded the two teenager girls as much as the summer heat. The routine and rush of school would start in a few short weeks. But for now, even the movies and the mall didn’t seem appealing anymore. Sitting on the back porch, the two best friends sipped lemonade and lamented the lack of anything to do.

Still too young to drive, the two finally decided to ride their bikes to the park. But along the way, they saw an advertisement for the county fair posted on a telephone pole. It started today and they had completely forgotten all about it! The summer boredom and heat was soon forgotten as they quickly pedaled past the park to the fairgrounds.

Their allowance and babysitting money went just as quickly on tickets for rides and food. Making their way to the far end of the midway, the girls spotted a small building. It may be another ride, but it was hard to tell. There was no line, so they decided to check it out.

As they approached, the sign simply said “Joy Ride.” An old man with a friendly smile operated the ride and stood at the entrance. They asked him how many tickets to get on the ride, but he said no money could buy joy. All they had to do was go in. So why wasn’t anybody else riding? The kind old man simply said that most people didn’t want to walk the distance to come to joy and were too distracted by everything else to enjoy this simple ride.

So, the girls tentatively got in the car that would take them on this mysterious “Joy Ride.” The car slowly rolled through the doorway and the door closed behind them. The room was completely dark. A gentle voice came over the speakers. It said that joy could be in a dark room because it was not dependant on any exterior sights, sounds, or circumstances.

A doorway opened to the right and the car proceeded sideways into the next room. The girls gasped as they now saw a treasure chest filled with stunningly beautiful gold and jewels. The car quickly spun around and they saw another chest filled with ruined, tarnished, broken, and worthless gold and jewels. The voice simply stated no one is too poor to have joy and no one is rich enough to buy it.

They continued into a corridor towards another room not knowing what to expect. As if reading their minds, the narrator of the ride explained that joy was often unexpected. You may not know when and where you will find joy next, but it can always be found if you look for it.

Finally, the car entered the final room of the ride and stopped in front of a screen. Bible verses flashed across the screen. Nehemiah 1:10 “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Psalm 30:5 “…weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.” James 1:2 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;” Philippians 4:13 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”

The mysterious ride came to an end. The girls walked away in silence. This ride had been weird. Instead of making them scream, it made them think. Would they remember the lessons of Joy Ride on the journey of life?

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