When was the last time you went to the circus? If you asked me at the beginning of the week I would have said about 30 years ago. However, this past week I went to the circus! It was in the playing field at Rosie’s School. For one night only The Happy Circus came to town! It was a great evening and I proper belly-laughed throughout it and was amazed at the skill of the various acts: the juggler juggling 5 spinning tennis rackets, the lady balancing a sword on her chin, the Spiderman acrobat, the amazing balancing man and the lady who did all sorts of acrobats through a hoop hanging from the top.
Listening to the children cheering and laughing was so uplifting as well. They were really getting into it and there were a number of times when the ringmaster (in a very lovely way) had to remind the children to sit down and not stand in the ring – they were so excited about what was going on and wanted to be part of it. Rosie told me afterwards she wanted to join the circus!
I think when we become adults, we forget that excitement of the circus; and similarly, we can forget the excitement of the Christian life when we’ve journeyed on it for a while. I don't want to be just a spectator sitting on the seats in the side-line when it comes to the Christian life. I want to go off and "join the circus". Be a part of those amazing feats of faith and see things happen because I'm doing what God tells me to do.
There are some amazing stories in the bible which remind me of some circus acts: Samson the strong man, Daniel the Lion Tamer, David who fought the giant, and all those many people who made monumental leaps of faith – just like the Flying Trapeze! Perhaps we need to go back and read through those bible stories that we normally think as children's stories and allow those wonderful bible characters to get us excited to serve God.
We don't have to just be spectators in the Christian life. We have the same great God that Samson, Daniel, and all those wonderful heroes of faith had. God is still in control. Great things still are accomplished by faith, love for God, and dedication to the Lord.
So, are you ready to join the circus and get excited to live the Christian life?
Captain Clare