YESTERDAY we had a yard sale! Some call it a garage sale. I remember when Jim and I were first married, 52 years ago; people didn’t have yard sales, but would go to the swap meet instead. There were junk stores and of course Goodwill; but no one had a yard sale. Today, I put something into the yard sale that I originally purchased at the swap meet in Southern California, in a town called Gardena. They used the Gardena Drive-in-movie lot every Saturday, and it was more fun than a basket full of kittens!
SPRING CLEANING always seems to end with a trip to Goodwill or a yard sale. Well this year, we took a lot of clothing to Treasures which is an outlet for Hospice. A lot of stuff is what is in the yard sale, and what is left, will go to Goodwill. All in all this is a good thing! Having a yard sale, allows for others to take away the goods. What is left, oh well; we will still make a trip to Goodwill! At least we are not piling up these treasures and becoming hoarders; or so I have heard!
IN THE SEVENTY"S I was employed by Goodwill. I started out sorting clothes off of a humongous ‘sorting’ table. Later I ended up as the Secretary to the Executive Director. I loved my job! I loved helping to plan ‘fashion shows’ and working with the clients. I was able to dress my family at economical prices and knew they were well groomed. It can be done, you know! I have always loved ‘hand-me-downs’; and somebody’s cast offs, could make my day!
"THEN HE SAID; ‘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’". Luke 12:16-18 In this passage Jesus is telling the story of the rich fool. A parable is a story with a meaning. The rich fool after building larger store houses and filled them up was satisfied that his future was now secure. Sort of like a 401K! He felt that life was good so he could set back and take life easy, you know; eat, drink and be merry!
"BUT GOD said to him; ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:20-21 The rich man was not condemned for having a lot of success in his business. On the contrary, he became a rich fool because he trusted in his own strength and kept everything for himself.
WHEN Jennifer was about 14 or 15, we gave her the cutest stereo cabinet for Christmas. It played 45's and 78's. Of course today people buy record players for those and they look antique. I keep thinking we need to buy one of those for all of our ‘old’ records, that are mostly scratched, but we keep them anyway! She decided to put her stereo in the yard sale! I can hardly stand it. It is so cute; walnut with red velvet down the front. The lid opens from the top and I can still see her sitting on the floor playing her music, listening to the radio. I know I have this memory, but I keeping thinking; why buy something new that looks old when you already have what is old and still works like new!
WHILE JESUS was definitely using this story to warn us about the dangers of self-centeredness and materialism, He had a much deeper concern; to help everyone, both in His day and our own; to discover that the real secret to life is in becoming "rich toward God." Having a yard sale, is just another way of determining that God is permanent, but income and material blessings are always temporary. We could just give it all away, but this way; Jennifer can add some to her savings, we don’t have to take it anywhere and some one else has found a treasure. It all works out and I can still say; "thank you Lord "for all that you have given us yesterday and today. For tomorrow? Well, God always has a plan.....By Jane Ann Crenshaw 5/23/14
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment