Buy the Book

My pastor made a point in one of his sermons years ago that stuck with me like glue. He was talking about making the most of the time God gifts us, and in driving home this particular anecdote he implored us,

"Use the good china."

I think he wanted us to understand that we are to offer the best we have to those closest to us, not keep it tucked away for "company"... or for "someday." The good stuff, the best stuff should be lavished on those near and dear to us. Let your kids sit on the new sofa. Break open that bottle of wine you've been saving for a special occasion. Stop for flowers on the way home, just because... serve dinner to your family on the good china.

What are we waiting for?

While we're waiting for "someday," today is passing us by. Missed opportunities to say, "I love you." Missed opportunities to make amends. Missed opportunities to take that trip, to write that letter, to make the day we DO have... special.

Despite my love for that sermon illustration and its accompanying admonition, I'm afraid I'd have to admit that I'm not very good at seizing the day. I'm a cautious person by nature. I weigh every option ad nauseam and still come up short in making decisions. Spontaneity is NOT one of my strengths.

Having admitted that however, I came across a quote in a recent Bible study by Max Lucado that reminded me to step out of my comfort zone. The study referenced "risky" love... extravagant love, and focused on the woman who anointed Jesus feet with the bottle of expensive perfume. This is the quote: "The price of practicality is sometimes higher than extravagance." The lesson went on to highlight situations in which individuals hesitated to make a particular gesture or another, waiting instead for "someday"... only that someday never came.

The woman who anointed Jesus' feet wanted to show her love, her devotion to Jesus while He was still living. The perfume was meant for his burial, but she didn't want to wait. Her someday came early, and it made all the difference.

What does any of this have to do with the title of today's blog post? Well, a couple of weeks ago Tom and I were at Half Price Books. I always head for the decorating/gardening section and he heads upstairs to the outdoor/hunting/vehicle section. When I went looking for him he had hold of a book on Jeeps. (In case you didn't know, we have a 1995 Jeep Wrangler YJ.) He showed me the book. He flipped through the illustrations. I tell you, the smile he had on his face was pure joy. He was loving that book.

I told him he should go ahead and get it. He responded by pointing out the price sticker: $34.99. YIKES!! He said he wasn't going to pay that much for ANY book and he put it back on the shelf.

The next day I was reviewing my notes for our ladies' Bible study at church. That's when I came across that quote. I thought about Tom, how generous he always is with me, how hard he has always worked for our family. We don't typically spend that kind of money on a book, a used book at that, unless it's for something like a college textbook, but I wanted him to have it. It made me almost giddy to think of the joy he would get from finding it wrapped by his dinner plate that evening.

It was still there on the shelf where he had placed it. I grabbed it and headed to the counter with prize in hand. It was not an extravagant gesture, per se, perhaps not to anyone but me, but it was my "someday" come early, and the thirty-five bucks was nothing compared to the smile on Tom's face when he opened his present.

Why do we wait?

Today is the only sure day we have. Today is the day to speak the words, to write the letter, to make the apology, ... to anoint the feet. We won't always have a second chance, so let's let today be our "someday." Let's eat our supper on the good china...

and buy the book.