Come To The Fair!
The family was enjoying time together at the county fair. The day was sunny and cool, a perfect day to be a fair-goer. We walked through barns filled with cattle, hogs, horses, sheep and goats, chickens and geese. We marveled at the displays of people’s talents and hard work. We rode the Ferris wheel and the merry-goround. We watched people match their wits and skills in games of chance. We ate our fill of barbecue and washed it down with iced tea. We came home tired and satisfied, and we reasoned that a county fair is a lot like life.
There’s something for everyone. A fair offers challenges and entertainment for people from ages 3 to 103. No one seems to get bored. The same people come back to the fair year after year. It’s enjoyable. So it is with life! There’s so much to see and say and do that life should never become boring. Life challenges us to be and do our best at every stage and every age.
The fair is quite a ride. It offers a variety: the Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, roller coaster, tilt-a-whirl, and bumper cars. At times life is like a roller coaster: We reach the heights only to find ourselves seconds later at an all-time low. At other times, life is a bit calmer, like a ride on the merry-goround. Sometimes we seem to just go around and get nowhere. Sometimes life is like the bumper car ride: We come home battered and bruised, vowing never to do “that” again — but we do. And sometimes life spins us around like the tilt-a-whirl. We walk around in a dizzy daze. At the fair, when the ride is over, we can get off and walk away. That’s how it is with life! Whatever ride or experience we’re on, the ride/experience will end, and we can walk away and go on to other things.
The fair offers games of chance. We walk down the midway. On either side are games of chance: knock over the blocks, ring the bottles, break the balloons. The chances that we will win something are slight to nil. Even if we do win, the prize we receive is hardly worth the effort. Life is like that! Gambling is big business; the casinos make millions. The promoters sucker us in, take our hard-earned money and send us away empty-handed. The promoters tempt us with “Spend a dollar, win a million.” They appeal to our selfishness and greed. We’re told that the money we win will bring us happiness and satisfaction and will solve all our problems. Even if we win, the prize is hardly worth the gamble. The money we win comes from people like us who can’t afford to lose it. Our “winning” comes at the expense of people becoming addicted to gambling, comes at the expense of lost hopes, failed families, empty lives and criminal activity. As we walk the midway, we each have a choice. We can either waste our time and money on the slim chance of “winning big,” or we can spend our time and money on things that will improve the quality of life for everyone.
The fair brings a day of judgment. Folks bring their animals to the fair, hoping to win a blue ribbon. On a certain day, they are called to bring their animals to the show ring to be judged. Some are prepared; some are not. Some will win the blue ribbon; some will win nothing. In the process, everyone learns some lessons about being prepared, about competing, about winning and losing. Most will be back to compete again next year. The fair goes on. That’s how it is with life! There will come a day when each of us will be called into Heaven’s Ring and be judged on the choices we’ve made, how well we’ve met the Judge’s standards for living, and just how well we’ve adjusted to winning and losing.
Life goes on. Tomorrow is a new day, and we’ll have yet another chance to compete in the great game of Life. Hopefully, we will have learned from our past experiences. Hopefully, we will leave this “ring” having received from the Great Judge the blue ribbon!