The Washington State Fair happens to be, not only the largest fair in the state of Washington, but in the entire Pacific Northwest.  In fact, it’s one of the biggest fairs in the nation, drawing nearly a million people annually, making the three-week event in September the single greatest attraction in the state!  Unsurprisingly, the size of the fairground is significant, spreading out over 160 acres.

Each year, my wife and I try to spend an evening there … preferably the evening a Christian concert is being presented at the outdoor arena.  Due to the prestige of the fair, the organizers have been able to draw some frontline singers and groups to perform there.  Purchasing concert tickets includes the sweet bonus of free fair admission. 

Unfortunately, there was no Christian concert this year, so the two of us just ambled around the extensive fairgrounds one Sunday afternoon and evening.

As you might imagine, a walk at the Washington State Fair is an assault of the senses. 

Since we were there on a weekend, the fair was flush with people.  Which meant it was impossible not to accidentally jostle some … and equally impossible not to be jostled. (This certainly tripped the touch sense.) 

The tempting smells of burgers and fries, tacos and teriyaki, corndogs and bratwurst, scones and other such desserts, as well as the aromas of virtually any kind of food a person could desire, wafted throughout the grounds.  (My wife and I settled for the teriyaki, and it tasted terrific.)  Of course, one didn’t have to wander far from the food venders to find the more earthy smells of manure from the animals in the barns.

And, my goodness, the sights and sounds of the fair!  The brilliant, blinding, swirling lights on the carnival rides, accompanied by blaring music intended to accentuate the ride experience.  Not to mention the screams when certain “attractions” swung their riders rapidly around or  plummeted them toward the earth from great heights.

A walk around a giant fair is the epitome of over-stimulation of the senses.  Always something to smell, taste, touch, hear or see – a continual barrage of experiential information, no matter where a person happens to be.  It’s all a bit overwhelming.

The final thing my wife and I did on our visit was take a gondola ride from one side of the fairgrounds to the other.  The gondolas roll on cables up and over the fairgrounds.  (See the picture below.)  They are fully enclosed, and the riders are locked inside when the door is latched. 

It was there, in the seclusion of our gondola, gliding silently over the mayhem and surveying the scene below, that we finally found some serenity.  Why?  Because we were above it all!

It occurred to me then that life is a lot like a fairground – full of frenzy and distractions.  Our senses, (and therefore our attention) are drawn to so many things as we negotiate our way through the turmoil.  We’re navigating life in a perpetual state of overstimulation, which leads ultimately to exhaustion.

True peace, joy and serenity are found only in our God and Savior.  To capture them, it is necessary to raise our eyes above the craziness of the world.  The psalmists describe this very thing: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).  “I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven” (Psalm 123:1). 

And not only do we raise our focus, but we raise our attention and our devotion to a higher level as well.  Paul explains: “… Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:1-2)

It is when our “eyes,” our minds and our hearts are centered on heavenly, spiritual matters (God and God’s Word!) that the Lord raises us above the hubbub of the world and settles us in the serenity and security of Him.  That’s a very good place to be, and the view is much more sublime.

Like in a gondola at the fair, high above it all.