(No Scripture this time. This is my gift to you. May it bring a touch of joy to your heart
and a smile to your face.)
Once, long ago, in a land
of ancient baobab trees and fiery sunsets, there lived a family of elephants: a
big, strong daddy elephant, a kind and gentle mommy elephant, and a little
elephant who just loved to play! And
these elephants all lived together in the attic of God’s House.
Now the big, strong daddy
elephant had a very important job to do. Whenever someone was in trouble and
prayed to the Almighty for strength or courage, the Lord would, in his own
perfect time, send the big, strong daddy elephant down from the attic to
protect the child in trouble. The big, strong daddy elephant would flap his
ears to stir up the wind and raise his trunk and send forth a loud trumpet
call—and the person who prayed would be quieted and comforted, remembering the
big, strong God he served.
The kind and gentle mommy
elephant had a job, as well. Whenever someone was feeling lonesome or in need
of a special touch of love and prayed to the Almighty for comfort or a quiet
spirit—or even for enough food to get through the day—the Lord would, in his
own perfect time, send the kind and gentle mommy elephant down the attic steps
and out in to the world. She would flap her ears gently and whisper in the soul
of those nearby, reminding them that when God walked the earth long, long ago,
he taught his children everything they needed to know in order to take care of
one another. And the person who prayed would find peace, a tender touch, a warm
bowl of soup, remembering that soon someone else might need to be fed.
And the little elephant,
who just loved to play, would watch
her big, strong daddy elephant and her kind and gentle mommy elephant trundle
down those attic steps, go about their flapping and blowing and whispering and
come back satisfied, and she would wonder, “What will I ever be able to do to
serve God? My ears are so small and my trunk is so short. What kind of prayer
could I ever answer? I just love to
play!”
And she would snuffle
softly and feel sad—but not for long, because soon a dust kitty would blow
across the attic, or a rainbow sunbeam would shine through, and the little
elephant would be so captivated by its beauty, she would grin from floppy ear
to floppy ear and be happy again.
“Play!” she would cry, “I
just love to play!” And the big,
strong daddy elephant and the kind and gentle mommy elephant would smile at one
another and nod wisely. Her day will come,
they thought. Her day will come. And
they were right.
One day, a day when the
sun rose and cast a perfect pinkish glow over the ancient land, a child
wandered nearby, her heart tired and heavy. She stopped, sat down and began a
familiar chat with the Almighty.
“O Daddy,” she said, “I
just don’t know. I don’t know why I feel this way. I have a lovely home, I have
food enough to eat and a warm bed to sleep in. But I just feel—empty. Oh, how I
wish I had someone to play with!” And she sat there, in the quiet of the
morning, and she prayed.
And the Lord Almighty,
who loved his beautiful child best of all (next to the elephants), smiled
gently. And he beckoned to the little elephant who just loved to play, and said, “Wonderful, joy-filled little elephant, it
is Time. I have been waiting for just the right time to send you down the attic steps and out into
the world. The time has come.” And gently, gently, the Lord nudged the little
elephant towards the attic steps—but the little elephant missed the step and
fell, rumble tumble head-over-teakettle down the steps, and landed with a >foof!< and an >OOF!< and a big
cloud of dust-- right in the startled child’s lap!
At first they just looked
at each other. The child blinked, and the elephant snuffled. And then, all at
once, the elephant shook her ears, wriggled up her trunk-- and sneezed! That
sneeze shook her from the tip of her trunk to the bristled end of her tail, and
she tipped over and landed, face first, in the sand. And she blinked with
bewilderment at the child, whose wide eyes grew wider still.
And the child said,
“Goodness! Gesundheit!” And they both
laughed.
And the little elephant
clamored off her lap, tumbled over to a nearby puddle and slurped up a trunkful
of water—and without even asking or thinking, she pointed her trunk straight
up in the air and blew out every drop of that water. And the drops fell like cool,
gentle crystals on the child’s head, and she giggled and smiled and laughed out
loud.
Of course, that made the
little elephant giggle and smile, too—and laugh out loud. And she said, “I just
love to play! Do you?”
And the child replied, “I
don’t know! I think so! Will you teach me? Show me how!”
And she gently grabbed
the baby elephant by the ear, and together they went off to play, giggling and
smiling. And every once in awhile, if you listened closely, you would hear one
or the other laugh out loud.
And meanwhile, back in
the attic, the big, strong daddy elephant and the kind and gentle mommy
elephant nodded wisely at one another and smiled.
For God is so good. All
the time.
