Pony Girl

A good friend of mine, who has worked with me on presbytery committees and with Living Waters for the World for many years, is what I call a Pony Girl. When I first called her that, years ago, I had to explain.

There's an old story (actually a joke, I think) that I vaguely remember about a woman who is an eternal optimist. Upon her death, as the story goes, the Devil had an opportunity to "break" her (Think of the biblical character Job.).  He decided she would be punished by being put in a small room piled high with horse manure. When her punisher returned to the room to revel in his sadism, expecting to find her down, dejected, and ready to recant her faith,  he was disappointed. He found her happily digging through the pile.

Confused and angry, her punisher asked, "What do you think you're doing?!"

She said, with great enthusiasm, "With all this poop, I just know there has to be a pony under here somewhere!"

Over the years, I've realized that this optimism runs much deeper than you might imagine. It's not a Pollyanna or rose-colored glasses simplicity, but rather a faith-grounded hope that refuses to succumb to the woes of outward appearance; a deeply held confidence that, despite current circumstances, Grace will prevail and Love will win.

Will you join me in an openness to and search for a Pony Girl life? Will you be someone who's not afraid to get down and dirty with the messiness of others people’s real lives, because you know that those places are the very ones where God is patiently waiting to unwrap mercy and forgiveness that's got our own name written on it?

© 2015 Todd Jenkins