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Topic: Snap (09/04/08)
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TITLE: Ouch! A Lesson Learned | Previous Challenge Entry
By Betty Marschner
09/10/08 -
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In 1983, our middle child, Brian, developed a rare and deadly leukemia. We spent most of that year traveling between home and the Mayo Clinic. There were many times when we wondered if Brian would succumb to the deadly disease. We know that many prayers and much faith is what brought him to being completely cancer free years later.
By the summer of 1984, Brian had stabilized some and we were able to spend more time at home. I decided then,the kids needed a dog. Brian had just turned ten years of age,his older sister was twelve and his younger brother just turned six. They were at that typical age when they could learn responsibility for having a pet.
A friend of mine, named Pam, just had a litter of American Eskimo-mixed puppies by her female dog and they were eight weeks old.
One night, at the supper table, I announced to my husband David, my great notion and he seemed to be in agreement with the idea but he asked the usual question, "how much do they cost?" At that time money was scarce for us with mounting medical bills. I thought we needed a puppy no matter what. I answered David by saying, " oh, they are about $10.00. David said,"are you sure they aren't more"? "No,I said, I swear they aren't." Now, I knew they were $10.00 more but I reasoned that was not a big deal.
The big day came and we went to Pam's house to look at the puppies. When we got there, they were all in a big basket. I thought to myself that there was no way anyone could resist those little white balls of fluff with big black eyes. The kids had no problem picking out thier favorite one and after a nice visit and leaving Pam with $20.00, we returned home. We spent the rest of the day trying to name the little guy, and because he was so tiny, it looked like he was destined to become a house dog.
That evening David got home and said, "he sure a cute little thing, looks like he is going to have some snap." So Snap was his name. The kids loved the puppy and it looked like a match made in Heaven.
Afew weeks later, we were coming home from one of Brian's check-ups and we stopped to pick up the mail. I noticed a note and David asked who it was from and so curiously, I opened the card, and saw it was from Pam.
Just as David asked who the card was from and I said it was from Pam, out popped a twenty dollar bill. Pam said she saw how Brian's face lit up when he saw the puppies so she wanted him to have it for free. David asked then"why the twenty dollars?" That is when I remembered weeks back when I lied about the cost and how I wrongly reasoned it was just afew dollars more. I thought what kind of example I was setting for those three youngsters in the back seat.
Was I teaching them that little white lies are fine and they really don't hurt anything? Then I thought about the puppies' name Snap.
For some reason the thought of a rubber band came to mind, oddly enough. I realized how if you stretch it too far and it snaps back, "ouch!" Alot like I felt at that moment. Sin will bounce back and sting! I had to be truth-ful and ask forgivness at that time.
So for all the years we had Snap, it was a great lesson reminder to me.
Matthew 5:37 "Let your yes be yes and your no be no. for whatever is more than these is from the evil one."
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