The Attraction
By Susan Klein
“…the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest silver for you.”
Job 22:25 (NIV)
Oh, oh. Here comes trouble! Two rambunctious boys with a haggard looking grandma
in tow were plowing up my drive. It was early morning the second day of my
garage sale. The brothers engaged in rough horseplay and loud noises as they
approached. The younger one ran straight toward me to shove a fistful of
pretzels in my face. And then, just as abruptly, ran off to take a luggage cart
with wheels for a test drive through my flower beds.
The older boy was
immediately drawn to something on one of the tables while the grandma perused
the clothing rack.
“Nana, can I buy
this?” he called across to her. I had to adjust in my chair to see what could
possibly have attracted this disheveled 8-ish year old with the mismatched
socks, mohawk haircut and a bushel of dirt on his clothes. Of all the items in
my garage, his eyes were glued to a cut glass covered candy dish.
“What would you do
with something like that?” questioned Nana, incredulously.
“Use it for
decoration!” he replied, proudly. So entranced with its sparkling beauty, he
handled it ever so gently. After a few seconds, he pleaded again. Nana assured
him it would never bode well in his chaotic home and, if inquired, “Mom would
surely say no.” He persisted (even I offered up an encouraging plea) only to
meet with adamant refusal. He held his ground, not moving from his spot, until
Nana paid for her items and started heading for the car. Realizing the prized
item would not be his, the boy shuffled out of my garage with his pouty face.
My mommy heart broke for him!
Perhaps he had never
seen anything like it before. What if he just wanted to bring a little bit of
beauty into his (maybe turbulent) home? Why deny him the joy of a $2.00 item
that he viewed as valuable?
His fixation on the
object spoke a thousand words to my heart. What do I prize? What thing of
beauty can capture my heart in such a mesmerizing way? These lyrics came to
mind.
Lord, You are more precious
than silver.
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds, and
Nothing I desire compares with You. [1]
Lord, You are more costly than gold.
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds, and
Nothing I desire compares with You. [1]
What if every day,
these words were my thoughts? What if every day, I was as entranced with my
Lord as this boy was with the garage sale treasure?
GOING DEEPER:
1. What earthly gems might be distracting
you from the brilliance of your Savior?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is married to Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group.
She serves as a mentor to young women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team, helping people work through conflict.
[1] More Precious Than Silver, Lynn
DeShazo, Copyright
© 1982 Integrity's Hosanna! Music.
