Saved, Sold Out and Serving - The $1.19 Story
By Cindy Amelung
Synopsis: An Inexpensive lesson on being hungry for God.
I am a grandmother and, typical of all grandmothers, my grandson is the smartest, cutest, most wonderful child in the known universe. I can say this because I don't have to raise him or be responsible for his daily care. He has a terrific set of parents who are doing a wonderful job of raising him and I count my blessings! When my grandson was 3-1/2 yrs old, I had the opportunity to baby-sit on a warm spring Saturday. Strawberries were in full season and he loves strawberries to death - they are far and away his favorite fruit. When I picked him up, I suggested we go to a nearby produce stand and buy a pint of strawberries just for him. I promised to take him straight home, clean and cut the strawberries and he could eat all he wanted (that's another thing grandmas love to do and it is even our obligation to do - spoil the child). As promised, I cleaned and sliced the strawberries and set them in front of him on the breakfast bar.
His face lit up as his little fingers greedily grabbed for that first slice. He popped it into his mouth, his little eyes closing in sheer joy and little moaning sounds escaping his lips. He chewed and chewed, smacked and licked and grabbed another bite before he had even swallowed the first one. I immediately warned him not to get his little mouth too full because I didn't want him to choke (once a mother, always a mother). He tried to be good and not stuff his face, but he loved the strawberries so much he couldn't get them in his mouth fast enough. He chewed another bite and another, juice dribbling down his chin, his arms all the way to his elbows, sticky fingers all over the breakfast bar, his shirt, the bar stool - a huge mess being made as he enjoyed those strawberries with complete abandon. When I would ask if he was enjoying his treat, he just shook his head 'yes' - there was no time for talking as long as there were strawberries in the bowl. His little moans and groans and slurpy noises were all sounds of sheer joy, sheer ecstasy, the sheer delight of his favorite treat that had cost me all of $1.19.
He sat there and ate until every last strawberry was gone - an entire pint's worth. He, of course, had to belch, but did remember to say 'scuse me' the way his mother had taught him. He was sticky and grubby and blissfully happy in that moment. He smiled a smile that lit up his entire face and said, 'thank you, gwammaw, that was good!' Never has such feeling been put into so few words; he had celebrated each and every morsel the way only a child can enjoy something. He enjoyed being fussed over and spoiled by his grandma; she didn’t get upset that he was sticky and had eaten with less than perfect table manners. He was simply happy. So was I just watching him. I have never enjoyed a pint of strawberries so much in my entire life and I never had a single taste. His face, his actions, his lack of conversation had communicated to me how delicious they were - I didn't have to taste one for myself. I also enjoyed cleaning him up that day - we made a game of it and laughed at all the silly things he did as I was trying to get some of the 'sticky' off him. He is 6 now and in kindergarten but that day is as fresh in my mind as yesterday; for $1.19 I got the memory of a lifetime; my heart nearly burst with love for him that day and I want as many days like that with him as my lifetime can hold. I want those memories with him as badly as he wanted those strawberries that day - what a gift for $1.19.
Folks, we are being called to spiritual maturity. Our world is forever changed because of September 11 th and we can no longer settle for the status quo. As I thought of that afternoon with my grandson, the thought struck me, do I look forward to time with God with that much anticipation? Do I try to take in so much of His word that I almost choke because I can't understand it all fast enough? Do I desire His thoughts and His will to flow over me to the point I am sticky? Do I read His word and let it run all over my soul just as the strawberry juice ran down Brendan's hands and arms? When I am truly in tune with Him, am I unable to find the words to describe my joy - does the Holy Spirit have to intervene with moanings and groanings (Romans 8:26)? Folks, there is a powerful lesson to be learned here. I challenge you to examine your spiritual life and see where you are on the road to spiritual maturity. Don't miss out on the adventure of a lifetime. 'O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.' (Psalm 34:8)
Copyright © February 2002– Cindy Amelung. All rights reserved. (Originally printed in Singles III Newsletter)
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