The “Story Behind It” …Hello to my Hump Day readers. I have a rather funny yet poignant devotion today that I think many of us can truly relate to! Pat Butler Dyson, is a free-lance Christian writer and now and then she and I have crossed paths at women’s retreats. She is also a good comedian as well as a speaker and often she starts with something that is part of her life.

One time she opened a large retreat with this short story: “MOM, WHY DON’T YOU THROW that old thing away? It’s a hundred years old!” My daughter Brooke glared at the electric can opener as it struggled with a can of pie filling. It stopped and started, spewing lemon filling in my eye, making a scary grinding noise all the while. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s useless. I cherish old things. 55 years ago, Dad wasn’t one for squandering money on gadgets, but this pristine almond appliance, equipped with a knife sharpener, would surely revolutionize our kitchen! The sparkling almond has aged and the can opener is beyond cranky. No telling how many cans of cat and dog food, corn, and peaches it has opened. And get this: invented in 1956 by Walter Hess Bodle, my vintage electric can opener has a starting bid of $134.99 on eBay! Well whoopeee! I could buy a sleek black model for $11 at Dollar General…but I’ll keep this one because there is a story behind it that I don’t want to forget.”

Can you relate to this? I know I can. Even now I ask my 95 year-old mother (going-on-50!), “does that old thing even work anymore?” Like Pat, she uses it until it is truly not usable and often keeps it anyway! I have things like that, too, and I have the same reason—they are something precious to me and they have a story that is implanted in my heart. Those stories are the ones I turn to when I need that “heart-boost-encouragement.” Whether those stories are a blender, old shoes/purses, quotes, books, etc., they have a tug on my heart and I believe the tug is from the Lord.

Asaph the Levite (King David’s head singer in the temple) wrote Psalm 77; it is 20 verses that start with shouting out to God to help him in trouble, give him sleep, rid him of his worries and distress. It was tumultuous times and Asaph even wondered “Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me?” But then the verses change when he thinks upon the Lord in prayer, saying: “But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders!”  

And there is the ‘story behind it’—the remembrance of the goodness of God and all God had given to Asaph. We need to embrace Psalm 77, and even more, open up our Bibles and read again the beautiful stories of healing, resurrection, triumph—Jesus stopping a storm, feeding 5,000+ folks, walking on the water—I mean, can anything top such incredible stuff?!

Think of your own lives and the stories that keep you ‘afloat’ when you are down and out. Like my friend’s electric can opener, they are gifts from the heart and gifts you used and were glad to have. Think of the incredible gifts from God—freedom, grace, mercy, peace, joy…and the precious forgiveness we all need. Are these gifts old—as old as God who is infinite! These gifted stories from Scripture and people in our lives are the gifts God plants in us to shape us and grow in our faith. So, what about that “it’s old, get rid of it” saying? How many years has the Gospel spoken to the world over and over and over again as it continues to share what we may call ‘ancient’ and yet is as powerful today as it was when it started. Would we want to toss that?

I know my favorite coffee maker, hiking shoes, Tupperware set, protractor/ruler, mechanical pencils, favorite bowl…and so much more are outdated, yet their stories make me laugh with the remembrance of when I bought them, or who gifted it to me—all precious moments that I can ponder on and find joy and encouragement.

In closing, I am reminded than no matter how precious our ‘stuff’ may be, it cannot stand the test of time. But then again, I have Jesus—the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, and He will stand the test of time and for all of us throughout the ages, and his stories will NEVER grow old—AMEN!