The County Fair

The county fair had opened, and for a little fellow like me it was about the most wonderful thing I had ever seen. My mother was excited too. Thinking back, I guess everybody in Logan County was there. I don’t remember, but I’m sure that my dad was along also because my mother who was a new driver wouldn’t have driven in such a congested area. I enjoyed the rides so much; I didn’t know such things existed. This was the most fascinating experience of my young life. The merry-go-round with the horses spinning round and round, the neat music playing was absolutely more than anything my little mind could have ever imagined. And that Ferris wheel, so tall reaching high into the sky above everything else, was the first thing I saw. My mother, assuring me that she would hold onto me, insisted that we give it a try. I was a little bit afraid at first, but once we began climbing higher and higher I loved it. Stopping at the top I could see forever, far beyond any place I had ever been.

There were other amazing things to see. I saw people playing games, some winning the most wonderful prizes. As we walked around the fairgrounds I saw tents with funny pictures, strange looking animals and people painted on them, men standing on platforms yelling out to whoever would stop to listen, and pretty, scantily clad women dancing as a crowd of men stood watching. My mother hurried me by that tent. We went into a large, strange shaped building where we looked at all sorts of items with different color ribbons attached to them. There were clothing items, pies and cakes, large watermelons and pumpkins, jars with jams, vegetables, so many homemade items that went on and on. We saw a brand new, bright shiny car that my mother said was going to be given away. I hoped they would give it to my daddy, but they didn’t.

We stopped by a place to get a drink and something to eat. My mother knew some of the people standing there. A lady and her little girl had also walked up adding to the crowd. My mother was talking to her while paying for our food. At the end of their conversation she began walking away while holding the little girl’s hand. Right away I knew something wasn’t right. Why did she walk off with that girl and leave me? I did what any little boy would do, I started crying and yelling for my mommy. The lady looked down, saw me and noticed that I had replaced her daughter. She bent down, called my name and told me she would take me to my mother. She took me by the hand and we walked over to some tables where my mother and the little girl were waiting. That girl didn’t seem as upset as I was. My mother and the other lady were laughing. My mother hugged me, told me she was sorry and apologized to the lady for mistakenly walking off with her daughter.

I had never been lost before. It was a scary thing. I’m sure no one likes to be lost. Being lost even for a couple of minutes is terrible. But what if a person is lost forever? Being lost spiritually is worse even though most people in the world don’t know or care. They are going through life with Satan holding their hand. He is leading them through this world to a place with no hope, showing them marvelous evil  things that are like a puff of smoke, dangerous things, that are going to destroy them. But Jesus is near desiring to save them. He is calling them by their name. He wants to take everyone by the hand, and put them on the road of righteousness that leads to eternal life in heaven.