The Brass Ring

There was nothing I liked more as a little girl than a carousel.
I was never a roller coaster kind of girl, though I regrettably tried a few.
I liked the gentle motion of the merry-go-round.
I liked the way I could see the faces of those waiting in line.

I would scope out all the horses as I waited.
I would plan my route.
If everyone went left, I went right.
I would reach that beautiful horse straight away.

I would climb on and grab the leather strap.
In my mind, I was riding off into the sunset.
The world went away as the carousel turned.
Those waiting would wave to their loved ones as the carousel went round and round.

Then there was that place high above my head.
That thing that was just beyond my reach.
I would see it glistening in the sunlight.
The brass ring.

The brass ring, if you were fortunate enough to grab it, would win you a prize.
Usually it was another ride on the carousel.
But that wasn’t the point.
It was the ability to grab the brass ring that counted.

It was beyond my reach.
It was beyond the reach of most.
There was always that tall man whose arm was as long as his leg.
He would extend his appendage, practically falling off the horse in the process.

It mattered that he was able to grab it.
He successfully managed to take hold and pull the ring from the dispenser.
He acted like a small child in his exuberance.
For a minute, he was a small child.

I realized that the dispenser was placed just beyond my grasp on purpose.
It would not be special if everyone got the brass ring.
It was necessary that some people were able to grab it however.
The fact that some people grabbed it, gave the rest of us hope.

Today, in our colloquial speech, grabbing the brass ring has become a catch phrase.
It means striving for the highest prize.
It means living life to the fullest.
It is a quest for success and all it has to offer.

When you make the acquisition of the brass ring your sole purpose, you miss the ride.
Oh, how you miss the beauty of the ride.
You miss the motion of living.
You miss the steady pace of daily life that really has a lot to offer if you just look.

And He told them this parable: The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!’ ” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God. (Luke 12:16-21)

The rich fool grabbed the brass ring.
He had great success with his crops.
Instead of being satisfied, he wanted more.
That’s always the way, never satisfied, always wanting more.

It is what Tolkien wrote about in Lord of the Rings.
The ring, which the character Gollum acquired, extended his life beyond its natural limits.
Gollum called the ring, “My precious.”
Gollum loved and hated the ring at the same time.

Gollum did not possess the ring as much as the ring possessed him.
That’s how it is with things.
They begin to possess us and become to us, something precious.
Things begin to have a dangerous influence on us, so that we cannot see clearly.

Grabbing the brass ring for the sake of the ring is foolishness.
Yet, in the attempt, there is hope.
In the unattainable, we press on.
We press on and discover the things that are really precious.

The things that are really precious are not things.

Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid for I am with you. (Isaiah 43:4,5)

That’s the brass ring.
To be precious and honored in the sight of God.
To know that He is always with us and never leaves us.
That surety is attainable only through His Son, Jesus.

We do not have to stretch or reach for God’s brass ring.
Jesus did the stretching; Jesus did all the work.
Jesus was stretched on the cross so that we would not have to be.
Jesus took the death that was meant for us so that we can live.

A relationship with God the Father through His Son, Jesus is the brass ring.
Nothing else matters.
Everything else will eventually own us.
Everything else will require toil and labor to acquire.

Jesus did all the work.
Now His work is finished.
Once and done so we do not have to strive to attain what is truly precious.
We have to love, trust, and obey in faith.

Grab hold.
God’s brass ring is within your grasp.
Jesus made sure of that.
Grab hold of Jesus and don’t let go.

Jesus will never let you go.