I once knew a woman, a member of the church, who worked as a Home Economics teacher in a high school. She went to San Antonio to buy a couch for her family, and a beautiful couch it was. I saw the pictures. However, she would not allow her family to sit on the couch, nor any church members. I have thought of her many times since moving from south Texas and wondered if anyone ever became worthy enough to sit on her beautiful couch. The thought always stayed in the back of my mind, “Who was she expecting, the president, the Queen of England, who?”
My adoptive mother was like this as well. The living room was off limits. The chairs, silk, had plastic sheeting on them, and for the time I lived with them the room was never used. She had boxes of crystal, expensive plates, goblets, and fine china which were never used. We ate from plastic plates. I remember it well, and in the process learned a very valuable lesson in life. We know the importance we have by how we are treated. My youngest son once told me, after he heard this story, and he is right, we make time and do things for those who are important to us.
“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” Romans 12:10-21
Who would be more important to serve than your brothers and sisters in Christ, your Christian family? Why would one not desire to set china before their husband and children, parents and grandparents, Christian friends? And why does it have to be only on holidays? We are only here for a short while. Why not make use of those things God has blessed us with and carve our names on hearts instead of marble? Why not give them flowers now? Why not allow them to sit on the expensive couch? Why not use the expensive china and crystal? While one lives is the time to appreciate our loved ones and show them how much we love them in word and deed.
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” I Corinthians 13:1
I once heard it said, and believe it to be true. If you have a complete set of crystal and china, take one piece and break it and then use the rest. I never ate from the crystal nor the china my adoptive mother had stored away. Always plastic plates. Sometimes pottery, but mainly plastic. I admired the china and crystal. They were lovely in the cardboard box, and absolutely useless. Love is not love until we give it away. Until we share and give of ourselves to others without thought of return, we will never know the true meaning of love. This is the truth our Lord lived and taught.
The same truth applies to God’s Word. There are limitless truths in His Word, direction, comfort, admonishment, warnings and instruction, bound up in beautiful leather covers, but absolutely useless if we don’t open the cover and study them. Make it a habit to read those precious truths every day and live them out in your life.
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105
When we hold our selves back either through material possessions or the giving of ourselves, we miss out on love and memories and the joyfulness of just giving to others. To love others comes with risk, but it is a risk worth taking. Our Lord loved us so much, that without thought to His comfort and well-being, He went to the cross and took the sins of the world upon Himself, that we might, through obedience to His Word have the hope of eternal life.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.” ~ Buscaglia
Eileen Light