The Hidden cost/Obvious Rewards... the Wayfarer1/18/15

The Hidden cost….Obvious Rewards

“And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me,

cannot be my disciple.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

(Luke 14 25-28)

Counting the cost is something that must be done prior to any purchase or endeavor that is embarked upon, a lesson intended to be taught early in life, and remembered throughout that life.

Sometimes those costs are not so readily apparent, as is the case with the “hidden cost” of the taxes paid daily on everything that is purchased in this world.

This is a lesson I wished to teach my great grandchildren as we went on a day of adventure and shopping in preparation for the trip to visit their mother this past weekend.

It was, however a lesson that backfired in a manner of speaking, as the intended lesson was interrupted by another one that refreshed the memory and heart of this old preacher.

Having given a five year old, and a nine year old a whopping five dollars each to spend, and the accompanying lecture on the necessity of remembering that taxes needed taking into account prior to getting to the register, I allowed them to shop for themselves, and pay for their own purchases while I watched from a safe distance in the store.

The first one came up 30 cents short at the register, her sister having told her that the toy wanted was within the cost allowed.

The clerk, completely destroyed the intended lesson by going through the change bowl of pennies collected and coming up with the needed additional money to buy that toy.

The second, the nine year old, for whom the lesson was most intended also came up short, 27 cents, which a customer behind her gladly made up the shortage.

As I said, the intended lesson went out the window, warming the cockles of my heart, replaced by the kindness of the golden rule being implemented by two strangers in its place.

Of course, the original lesson was still stressed to the two youngsters, that the hidden costs had to be taken into consideration when making a purchase, or that the purchase could not be properly completed, but with the additional praise for the kindness of those who remembered that other lesson, that bore down even harder as the weekend progressed!

The following day, preparations having been made, the younger of the two, and I set out to make the visit, quite some distance away, so that she could have a couple of hours with her mother, this time alone since her sister could not go with us, a rare treat for a five year old that barely knows her mother, and the mother as well that barely knows that 30 year old in a tiny body of a five year old.

Two hours into a six hour trip, we stopped for gas and a restroom break.

Like the forgetful old man I have become, I left the lights of the car on while we accomplished the task of fueling, and the rest stop, only to find that it would not start when we returned.

By chance, a young man pulled to the pump next to us, and I asked for a jump start from what was, again, another total stranger.

He willingly complied, refusing payment, and this led to a conversation that informed me of his own dedication to Christ and the teachings of Christ as well.

The lesson had been repeated!

The same kindness manifested itself in the guards that were encountered as we met with the child’s mother, and again and again throughout the trip home.

It was a day, it was a moment, it was a pleasure that filled my heart with hope that was initiated by one intended lesson that taught still another, equally important lesson to the intended teacher.

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

(Matthew 7:12)

In a world so filled with so much trouble, so recklessly hurtling toward the eventual demise of that world, and all within it, that simple, mandatory lesson taught remains the center of the necessity of what is to be taught… the commandment left us by Christ, that when followed, shines the light of his ownership on all that manifest that commandment despite their own personal concerns or troubles, proving again what He said would be proven by showing that love.

His disciples are still here, still to be found among the ravening wolves around us, still working toward the end of their own journey and still remember the need to show that inner light to all around them to those willing to see it and willing to listen to the guidance left by Him.

I close, as always, that same simple sinner saved by grace through faith in the same Lord shared by all who take and took the time to find and heed the warnings given and to accept the promise given by Him.

I remain, wayfarer and soldier in His service, humbled by the service of others that is so obvious when given of the heart as it is intended to be given.

Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus!

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen.
the Wayfarer