There is a truism for garage sales. It’s the jackpot theory. You browse many yards, finding nothing. Then you hit a jackpot sale with everything you were looking for in perfect condition and at great prices!
I occasionally went to yard sales when my kids were young. Toys and other children’s deals were plentiful. One weekend I went to a sale in an older neighborhood that was being razed for new development. Sure enough, I experienced the jackpot phenomenon. After many dud sales, I hit upon a bonanza! I found a treasure of craft supplies, gardening tools, and items for entertaining, all at one house. A thought struck me as I purchased what the seller was unloading: she was ending a time of creating and sowing in homemaking that I was presently immersed in. She might be looking back but I was looking ahead. I wondered if she was satisfied or regretful. I saw a future that I could seize or squander.
The Bible talks about choosing endeavors of significance. “Anyone who builds on that foundation (Jesus) may use a variety of materials – gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or stone. But on the judgment day, fire will review what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.” (1 Corinthians 3: 12-13) That Saturday was many years ago. I still use the party-sized coffee maker I bought that day and I’m still aiming to do work that is fire retardant. I pray that this blog has value for eternity.