Isn't it funny how we hear a story then one day it pops back in your mind. The story I am sharing is one like that. Let's see how well I remember it.
Jill and Heather were sisters living in the burbs back in the day when nintendo home entertainment systems first came out.
Everyone had nintendo, was soon getting nintendo, or so it seemed. These two girls wanted Ninetindo so bad. They knew it would make their summer. School was about out. Only problem being, they had no cash. Together they had $2.87. Not much for a ten and 12 year-old heading into a long summer.
The girls took their hope and dream of having a nintendo to their parents. Their parents wanted them to have it too. Wouldn't it be nice to make the girls happy. But their oldest sister was getting married in two months. Mom's car was parked in the alley at the area auto mechanic waiting for funds to be fixed and grandpa needed help with paying for a much needed roof job on his home. These things along with the regular expenses that were rising each month, Mom and dad had to say no.
Being good parents they just didn't say "No!" and "get out of here". They didn't send the girls in the basement out of the way to watch TV or to their room. They made the suggestion that if the girls wanted a nintendo bad enough, then how about trying to raise or earn the money to buy one for themselves.
Hey, what a great idea. School was out in a couple days. They sat up a lemonade stand selling lemonade and ice tea and sometimes tossed in a chocolate chip cookie or two. Every day they sat up the stand and they gradually took in a nickel here, a dime there, and a whole quarter once in a while. One day a man gave them a dollar bill.
Well, they got down to the last week before heading back to school. The lemonade stand season was quickly coming to a close. They had done well and enjoyed their venture. But, they were going to come up way short. Like $25 to $30 short.
Having hope they drug themselves out to their corner each of the final days of the last week of summer break. As they baked in the hot sun they began making plans to have the lemonade stand again next summer. Maybe next year would be better. One could only hope. They still wanted a nintendo.
On the last day with a half an hour to go and with thirty-five cents in the coffee can, there hope for a ninetindo anytime soon had almost vanished. Then, behold, a man in a shining car pulled up and stopped at the curb in front of them. He jumped out and began talking with the girls and asking questions. He placed his order for a big lemonade and one cookie.
The well-dressed man said, "your sign says this is your last day of the season. Was business good for you this summer?" He continued, " I saw you sitting out here day after day as I drove home from work and I always wanted to stop." He dropped two green bills folded up into the coffee can. He thanked them and took his cup filled with lemonade and crawled back in his car.
The girls picked everything up, folded the table and headed for the house closing out the season. Jill waved to their last customer as he drove away. She then glanced at the two bills in the can and started screaming. The man had given them thirty dollars in a twenty and a ten. Jill and Heather now had more than enough to buy their Nintindo.
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without know it." Hebrews 13:2 (NIV).
Do you think Jill and Heather served lemonade to an angel that day?
"Praise him, all his angels, praise him all his heavenly hosts." Psalm 148:2 (NIV)
Rick Hawbaker
'Man of God'
No comments:
Post a Comment