Gigi's Blog

Some things aren’t worth what they used to be……..some things are priceless

visioncgbc | June 26, 2009 17:12

Last Saturday we had a yard sale. We had it at Holly and Rich’s. We’ve done these for years literally. This one was very last minute. Last week Chloe had dance on Mon. Tues. and Thurs. we had church Wed. By Friday it was time to prepare, and I didn’t. Mark did everything. Literally. He’d bring something in and I’d say either “yes” or “I didn’t want to sell it.” I was exhausted. To the point I didn’t offer anything to help Friday.

Yard sales are really fun though if you like to people watch and cut up with people. Richard really does and that makes it very entertaining. He and Holly were selling some China that was very valuable. Ya know that stuff that’s “per place setting” prices. Well, someone came up to Rich and enquired about the price. “$4.00” Rich said. “Well, will you take $3.00?” “Well, no. But I will take $5.00.” Someone asked me about the pricing for something and I said “.25.” They walked away. I’m sorry. You can’t go much cheaper than a .25. After it was all said and done Mark was going to take everything that was left to Good Will. Rich told him he didn’t need to do that. He assured him that if he’d just put it on the side of the road, people would come and just pick it up. Sure enough a few minutes later a man pulled up on a moped strapped down with stuff and starts strapping what he could to himself. As much as he could get. Then he drove off. We had a lot of stuff left, but I guess it all got gone.

Between the two families we made at most a couple hundred, and I doubt even that much. There was probably literally several thousand dollars worth of stuff. (when it was purchased) But no one cared. No one cared how excited Holly was when she bought a cute dress when Rebekah was little. Or that American flag party platter I had. Or all the other things that were so special to us, but to another person meant nothing.

This week has been kind of rough. I’ve heard heartbreaking stories of infidelity. Families broken. People hurting. International chaos. I know people personally who are very sick. People have extreme hatred for one another. My dad has lost his job, and so have many other people I know. Our countries finances are in big trouble. Oh, and on top of all of that-Mark got head butted at church playing basketball Monday night. He was playing ball just to relieve stress after he’d found out we need a new coil for our air conditioner. He’s seeing double. Cat scan said nothing broken. But he can’t feel part of his nose, and he’s still seeing double.

I know many people, including myself in serious need of a renewed sense of hope. I praise God that He tells me where to get it-from Him and it’s more obvious to me than it has ever been. The houses built on shifting sand are shifting and collapsing before people’s eyes leaving them utterly shocked and very scared. The people who’ve built their house on the rock, their house is standing. People get confused by what the house is-the house isn’t possessions and things-the house is US.

At our yard sale we knew how valuable all those items were, but we could barely give them away. We couldn’t believe it. People need to know the gift of Jesus. I don’t mean know, I mean KNOW. With every bit of who we are. That we could never afford the lavishness of his generous priceless love, but we can have it. How will they know? Maybe if we would’ve presented our yard sale treasures as just that, they would’ve sold better. But just pilin’ ‘em on a table and saying “buy it if ya want” maybe that wasn’t the best sales pitch. The world is full of evil and problems and struggles for Christians and non-Christians. So, as these people look at this “Jesus” we claim as our Savior, but they still see us with problems, what would make them want Him? The knowing what will happen one day and who we are in Him. The peace that they don’t have. The joy that can’t be bought, and can’t be taken. It’s so backwards. This gift cost us nothing, but it worth more than anything.

See that today, so that they can see that today.

Psalm 9:18 (New International Version)

18 But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.