A Man of His Word
When I was a young girl, maybe 6 or 7 years old, I was blessed to live next door to my paternal grandparents and only one block from an ice cream stand. In those days you could buy an ice cream cone with a scoop of that deliciousness for 5 cents. Yes, I’m old, but I am telling you the truth – a nickel ice cream cone was a reality.
It was an extremely hot summer day and I began to think about how good an ice cream cone would taste. My problem was that I didn’t have a nickel, but I thought I knew a way to get what I wanted.
My grandfather was sitting on their front porch and so I approached him to see if he would give me the money I needed to go to the ice cream stand. He reached down in his pocket and handed me that coin. Since he could see all the way to the ice cream stand from where he was sitting, he told me to walk down there and come straight back home.
However, I had a faster plan to get what I wanted. I got my little bicycle and rode down to the stand, purchased the cone, and then headed back home to eat it. Everything was going fine until the front wheel of my bike dropped off of the curb and my ice cream bounced out of the cone and onto the street.
I’m sure grandpa saw the whole thing, but nevertheless, I thought he would make everything better – he was a grandfather, after all! So, I asked him for another nickel. The answer I got taught me a very valuable lesson in my young life.
His answer? He said “No,” and then he added, “You didn’t do what I told you to do.” I knew better than to try to argue with him.
Now you may be thinking about how hard-hearted my grandpa was, or how we need to give second chances when our children make mistakes. Let me assure you – my grandfather was not a hardhearted man, but he was a man of his word. He said for me to walk to the stand and I didn’t follow his instruction. Maybe he should have given me a second chance. However, I learned a very hard but valuable lesson that day – honor what your grandparents (or parents) tell you to do. Don’t assume that you know a better way.
Our Father in heaven has left for us words that teach us His very nature. He created us and thus knows what is best for us. He is a Man of His word. He loves us and He has provided a way for us to live in harmony with Him here on this earth, and in Heaven one day. Yet there are times in our lives when we fail to listen to what He has said. There are times when we think we know a better way.
Obedience is the key, just as it was with my grandfather on that summer day.
My grandfather died when I was eight years old, so there is much about him that I don’t remember. I do, however, remember the lesson he taught that day. He was a man of his word, and I should have obeyed. On that summer day the reward would have been small, but a reward nonetheless.
Our Father in Heaven offers us an eternal reward. The greatest reward we could ever receive – if we will listen and obey.
The words of the chorus in an old song written by Wilkin B. Bacon in 1943 come to my mind as I conclude these thoughts:
Can He depend on you?
His blessed will to do?
Will you be crowned with the faithful and true?
Can He depend on you?
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AUTHOR: Donna Faughn
