This past Friday was the "kick-off" for round one
of our November antique shows. One of
the most important things in being a vendor is preparation.
Have I brought the merchandise
that will interest the customer? Am I competitive
in my pricing? What percentage of
discount am I prepared to offer the customer?
When the show actually starts, there isn't much to do other
than wait for the right person to come along and make a purchase. Typically Friday is a slow day in the show,
but all the vendors are there just in case someone comes by wanting, not only
to find something they want to buy, but also to beat the crowd that is expected
on Saturday.
Because of my recent problems with hip replacement, followed
by a broken leg, I am not 100% in my abilities to do everything connected with
the show, but I really like being there to see the people, tease the kids, and
smile really big when we make a sale. By
the time Friday evening got there, I was tired and ready to go home and find my
recliner. Some of my tired feelings were
also blamed on the recent time change because shortly after our 6:00pm closing
time, it was already getting dark.
I was still several steps from the car when I realized
something was wrong. My suspicions were confirmed when I got closer and could
see the reason the back end of the car was lower than the front. I had a flat tire. After looking things over, I realized I could
make it to a repair shop, if I could find someone with an air tank to inflate
the tire and send me on my way.
It took a little while but a nice gentleman parked just 4
spaces from me had an air tank and had my tire inflated quickly. The repair
shop had the tire fixed in about 20 minutes and I started thinking of the
recliner again.
From my reclined position, my thoughts took me through the
events of the evening, and how our automobiles, constructed by people who are
responsible for making thousands of parts function properly, or I couldn't
drive anywhere. In my case, I needed air
in all four tires, or the vehicle would be useless.
Similar is the feeling when we turn the key on our car and
hear a "click" and know it's time to get a new battery. Or it might be when the steam is coming out
from under the hood and we realize a hose is broken. There are countless things that need to
function properly or we suffer losing the use of the whole car.
When Paul told us about each of us having a gift that we use
to the glory of God and the proper use of all our gifts would bring great
benefit to the body of Christ, I get the picture of my valuable but useless car
sitting there with a flat tire. Totally unusable because of the lack of one
part. That's what happens when we fail
to realize our part in the family of God, where Paul says, "From him
(Jesus) the whole body, joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as
each part does its work." Ephesians 4:16
<ronbwriting@yahoo.com>
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