I would guess I'm not the only one who has ever claimed they would never do something... and then they did. For example, I always said I would never buy a new car but two years ago, I purchased a 2010 Honda Fit. Then there were the proclamations that I would never use a computer but school procedures intervened. I was certain I would never buy my own computer and have the Internet at home but when I started this blog, it became almost mandatory. Then, it was I'd never buy a laptop, the same laptop on which I'm typing this entry. I also was never going to have a cell phone- I still don't have a regular one, just the pre-paid variety, the number of which is a mystery to me- but that's becoming more of a distinct possibility as I'm paying for a land line which is barely used. It's just one more crack in the armor that has encased me.
It's Sunday so it's confession time. I broke another one of those 'I'll never' creeds of mine this afternoon- I bought a pink dress shirt. It wasn't in my plans; it just kind of snuck up on me. Jos A. Bank was having this incredible sale for valued customers, of which apparently I am one, to where I could buy $87.50 oxford dress shirts for only $26.25! There was a catch; to get that price, you had to buy at least five Traveler Dress Shirts. I'm not low on shirts right now but on back-to-back weekends in the fall, I'm giving a speech at a fundraising dinner and preaching a wedding so I'll need two new white ones. That left three and eventually, I'd have to buy them so why not get them at this terrific deal? There were several checked pattern shirts that I didn't have so that brought it down to one and the only shirt in my size that I did not possess after this transaction was pink. Let me explain that I have an aversion to that color. A number of female students have given me pink ties and I'm always complimented when I wear them. A number of female students also have told me, 'That tie/those pants would be perfect with a pink shirt!' to which I would reply that I have no pink shirt. Of course, they would come back with, 'You could buy one!' and my response has always been, 'No.' Well, until today and now I'm the possessor of one pink Jos A. Bank Traveler Dress Shirt.
Do you know who I think of when I hear the word never? Peter. Look what these statements he made to Jesus in the Gospels:
"This will never happen to you, Lord!" Peter said this when Jesus told His apostles He was going to die. Immediately, Jesus referred to Peter as Satan.
"You will never wash my feet." Spoken at the Last Supper, Peter recants and then asks the Savior to give him a whole bath.
"I will never disown you!" Directed at Jesus after the Master told Peter he would deny him three times. We know how that ended!
On the other hand, Jesus made some never claims as well:
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Mark 13:31)
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)
"I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51)
I love those never pledges by Jesus because we know they will never be broken. I'm afraid I'm like Peter in the going back on your oaths department, but at least he walked on water for a little while! And I'm hedging my bets on the pink shirt. It's still in the Jos A. Bank bag, all stick pinned up with the sales tag adjacent. You know, I may never wear it. Good thing they have a generous return policy! But you know what's funny? Every time I've reversed myself on one of those never statements, I've been glad that I did in the long run. This one may be wait and see. I'll probably need a few compliments to be convinced.
Applicable quote of the day:
“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”
Audrey Hepburn
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
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