Fred Craddock tells the story of a missionary family in China who was
forced to leave the country sometime after the communists took over.
One day a band of soldiers knocked on the door and told this
missionary, his wife, and children that they had two hours to pack up
before these troops would escort them to the train station. They would
be permitted to take with them only two hundred pounds of stuff.
Thus began two hours of family wrangling and bickering -- what should
they take? What about this vase? It's a family heirloom, so we've got to
take the vase. Well, maybe so, but this typewriter is brand new and
we're not about to leave that behind. What about some books? Got to take
a few of them along. On and on it went, putting stuff on the bathroom
scale and taking it off until finally they had a pile of possessions
that totaled two hundred pounds on the dot.
At the appointed
hour, the soldiers returned. "Are you ready?" They asked. "Yes." "Did
you weigh your stuff?" "Yes, we did." "Two hundred pounds?" "Yes, two
hundred pounds on the dot." "Did you weigh the kids?" "Um, . . . No."
"Weigh the kids!"
And in an instant the vase, the typewriter, and
the books all became trash. Trash! None of it meant anything compared to
the surpassing value of the children.
If only it were that easy
for us. If we had to make a physical choice, the choice would be easy.
What's worth more -- your child or a computer? If you could only take
one with you, which would it be? That's easy; it's a no-brainer. But
seldom does the choice come wrapped in such easy-to-open paper.
Too often, it sounds more like this: What's more important -- spending
time with your family or staying at work a couple of extra hours to get
caught up? "Don't ask me to make that choice! My family is important to
me. It's just that I really need to get this done! After all, I'm only
doing it for provide for them." Still, there are times when the question
won't go away: Which is more important?
And there are times when
we are forced to admit that we've been gathering hundreds of pounds of
"trash" while neglecting that which is of greatest importance.
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." (Philippians
3:7-8)
But God bless each one of you with the wisdom to choose
that which is of greatest value.
Alan Smith Innisfil, ON, Canada
