Sorry, Non-Refundable
Standing in line before us were two little boys. Their arms were loaded down with empty soft drink bottles, and their hands were skillfully clutching onto what must have been a sample of every kind of candy in the store. They stepped up to the counter and unloaded their hopeful transaction before the cashier, a pile of bottles and candy and four little eyes staring over it. The cashier reached down and examined all of the bottles, then another. After she had examined all of the bottles she said rather pitifully, “Sorry boys, these bottles are non-refundable. You will have to put the candy back.”
It seems as though life is filled with non-refundable things, from soft drink bottles to dreams. That is, things that look like they have value and promise but when it comes time to cash them in, “Sorry, non-refundable.”
It’s easy to be fooled by these things. They look like the real thing and often times have something to do with the real thing but they are not. And no matter how long we carry them around, or want or wish them to be the real thing, they will never be or produce more than “Sorry, non-refundable.” CONSIDER that tucked away in the great sermon Jesus preached are these words, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in Heaven where they will never lose their value, and are safe from thieves.”
They slowly walked away from the counter and returned the candy to the shelves. Heads hanging low, they walked to the door. One of the boys said to the other as the expression on his face went from utter despair to sheer delight, “Hey, I know where we can find some good ones. Let’s go!” And away they ran. This time maybe they’d find the real thing.
Rev. Wendell Mettey
1/27/14
