The Peaceable Kingdom

Barrett has a barn, with all the familiar farm animals:  a piggy, a moo-cow, a billy goat, a horse, a doggy.  There is a ladder to climb to the second floor of the barn and a corral to keep the animals from wandering off.

He enjoys his farm and plays with it lots.  The animals start out in their "rooms" in the barn...then he lines them up, side by side.  Sometimes the animals kiss one another.  Sometimes they play roughly and  knock each other over.

What's interesting about this farm is that it also has some unusual animals who live and play alongside the traditional ones listed above.  There is a lion, a tiger, a fox, and a dinosaur...a T Rex at that!  King of carnivores!  This morning, the tiger took a ride on top of the horse...the fox was sitting beside the piggy, and the dinorsaur was right there by the moo-cow!

It is fascinating to watch Barrett and his animals at play.  It's like he has never heard of predators and prey... he doesn't understand that concept, of course.  His farm is a peaceable kingdom, where the lion truly does lie down with the lamb.  Such a picture of what God wants for His kingdom here on earth...and one which we'll experience someday in heaven!

I'm glad of the reminder, from the play table of a precious little 22-month old child, that we CAN all get along a little better.  Maybe not totally yet, not like things are now, but little by little, one day at a time...then perfectly in the by-and-by.  We can work at it, we humans.  There's so much to be gained from living peaceably, in harmony, in concord with one another.  It's a tall order, for sure, but one that can happen with attitude and action modifications on all our parts.

I'll let you know how tomorrow goes, on Barrett's farm.  We may just see some more examples of harmonious living, like the fox sleeping with the chickens or the doggy and the kitten sharing a bed in the hay.  They may have learned something important from the lion and the lamb!