16 But do not forget to do good and to share,
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Hebrews 13:16 (NKJV)
By Bro. John L. Cash
Well, this week has been one that will truly go down in my personal record books. After everything I ranted about last week {insert link to last week’s story here} I’ve received something wonderful in the mail. Yes, I now have my very own half-pound-bar of soap. Life is good.
I haven’t even begun to extol the virtues of my newfound treasure. Not only is my soap huge (a full eight ounces), it’s made by J. R. Watkins Company (maker of fine products since 1868)—and it’s scented with peppermint. I was able to locate it, order it, and have it delivered (with free shipping) in less than a week. Who could ask for anything more?
It’s been a great reminder to me of what a remarkable age we’re living in; this wouldn’t have been possible at all just a few years ago. Let me illustrate: When I was 4 years old, I had a set of children’s playing cards I loved to play with. It had pictures of “heads” and “feet” of different characters. You could match them up correctly, or you could match them up for a comical effect. I played with them every day.
One day, the babysitter and I went together to the dime store to buy a baby shower gift. She told me to leave the television on because it was only going to take a few minutes. While we were gone, the TV caught on fire and burned everything in the living room. My playing cards were in the living room.
Later on, I asked my mother if she would buy me another set of cards to replace the ones that were incinerated. She said that she would try to find some. She diligently looked (over the course of several years) and never found any. I really loved her for how hard she tried to replace them, but I felt sad that they were gone forever.
That was pretty normal in the days before the internet. If you had something you liked, you needed to hang on to it. If you lost it, there was a good chance you’d never be able to replace it.
Just for an academic exercise, I did an Ebay search for “heads and tails card game.” Voila! In a matter of seconds I found a complete, vintage set for less than $10.00. I never could have done that back when my favorite playing cards were lost in the fire.
Clearly, we live in a time of amazing opportunity. We can quickly acquire almost any item we need. Something I’ve just realized is this: this same ability gives us a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous opportunity. We can (and should) use this power to get things that other people need.
This week, think about how the internet has enabled us to both communicate and share. Then let’s try to harness that power to do the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 34 ½ years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He’s currently on a sabbatical from the preaching ministry, and is an English teacher at the Choctaw Tribal School. He and his lovely wife, Susan, live in a brick house in town (who got a new grandson named Carter Wayne Cash this week.) You can send him a note at brotherjohn@ilovechurchcamp.com.
