Ally, a friend of mine from California told this story about herself when she was a child.

Ally overheard her father tell her mother that they would “take the Pontiac up the coast to San Francisco and catch the circus there” on their summer vacation. What she thought she heard was, “We’ll take the pony act up the coast and join the circus in San Francisco.”

I asked her how long she believed that they were going to join the circus with a pony act. “At least a month,” she answered.

“Was it good news to you, or not?” I asked.

“Oh, yes! My only worry was that they might think that I knew how to train ponies, and I knew that I didn’t.”

“When you learned that you were taking a family vacation without ponies, were you disappointed?”

“No, not at all!” It was one of our best vacations. My parents, my brother and I were together and we had a great time.”

For at least a month Ally believed that her entire life would change as she and her family would work with a circus performing a pony act for a living, and when the reality became clear, her mind never skipped a beat. It was enough that she was with her family.

“Let the little children come to me . . . for the kindom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:14)

This is very strong language for Jesus to use about those who wish to come to his Father and share His life, but these words are a spiritual window into the simplicity of soul that God looks for in His own. He looks for those for whom the Person of God is the rock of their lives; Jesus also said, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.!” (Matthew21:42)

One day Ally’s dad said “Hop in the car! We’re ready to go! “Where are the ponies?” asked Ally. “What ponies?” asked her dad.

It didn’t matter. Her brother was already in the car and everything was packed. They drove up the coast stopping along the way to picnic and swim, then saw the circus in San Francisco. It was a great vacation.

Love in Him, Prue