The Worst Day Ever...

I'm having the worst day ever.

This morning I sold much of my childhood.  A dollar at a time, I watched it carried into station wagons and mini-vans.  Piece by piece, I saw it shoved into grocery bags and crammed into boxes.  I tried not to cry.

Garage sale day.  But not just any garage sale.  Normally, I can part with old sweatshirts and extra wineglasses and the T.V. trays that lean like Italian towers.  But today was different.

Today I sold my Star Wars collection.  And my baseball cards.  And my comics.  And my action figures.  And half my life with it.

20 some years ago I had a brilliant idea--What if I spend all of my money (mostly translated "mom and dad's money") on sports cards and Star Wars?  What if I keep them all in their packages and preserve them in pristine condition and just wait?  What if I wait until I'm 30 and sell them?  I'll be rich!  They'll be worth so much I'll probably have two butlers and a masseuse and a food taster just in case someone tries to poison me and take my endless wealth.

So the spending spree began.  $6 for Yoda at WalMart.  $7 for Luke Skywalker at KMart.  $20 for the special edition Stormtrooper in the collector's case.  Thousands of dollars invested one store at a time.  Hundreds of action figures and tens of thousands of sports cards.

And every one was packed away.  Untouched.  And I waited for the power of exponential growth to make me the Bill Gates of Sun Prairie, WI.

Today, 20 some years later, I opened the garage doors.  But right now I don't feel like Bill Gates.  Mothers flooded in and hovered over my precious collection at 8am sharp.  My explanations about collectors' value and vintage figures were met with glazed-over looks.  I priced everything at 75% of the book price.  But the moms didn't care.  They didn't want my $52 Obi Wan Kenobi or the $56 12-inch Sandtrooper special edition.  They wanted whatever was the cheapest.  Little Billy was going to rip open the package, crash Yoda and Luke into the kitchen table, and give the Stormtrooper to the golden retriever as a chew toy. 

It was a long morning.

The gut-wrenching garage sale got me thinking about investments.  I invested thousands of dollars (my mom might add a "0" to the end of that...) in collectibles.  But the investment wasn't so wise.  The cards and collectibles took up space for two decades and were sold this morning at less than their 1990 WalMart sticker price.

But I thank God I've made other investments.  For example, I used to cut grass in high school.  $7 an hour provided for my extravagant teenage lifestyle.  But I gave some of it to our church.  I thought Jesus would like that.  Then one time in high school my friend Ben got into car stereos.  I had a top-of-the-line car amp and a six-disc CD changer.  He loved my system.  I loved Jesus.  So I gave it to him.  Free.

My brother yelled at me (since he gave me the stereo stuff in the first place), but I don't think Jesus was yelling.  He says in Matthew 25:40, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Jesus also told his disciples, who had invested years in following him, "Everyone who has left houses...or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." (Mt. 19:29)

It seems as if Jesus is saying that our spiritual investments always produce an amazing return!  If my Star Wars were worth 100x their value now, I would be rich here on earth.  Unfortunately, this morning proved otherwise.  However, Jesus promises that our investments in the work of God produce such a stunning return in the life to come.

When you gave to your neighbors who were struggling with rent because you love God..

When you took time to play "beauty shop" with your little girl because you love God.

When you supported those missionaries with your Christmas bonus because you love God.

When you took 15 minutes each morning to read the Bible and pray because you love God.

When you volunteered at your church or the soup kitchen because you love God.

These investments, by God's grace, will produce a return that a vintage Yoda in mint condition can't touch.

Our garage sale ends tomorrow afternoon.  All early signs indicate I won't be buying a yacht with the proceeds.  But I think God used it to give me a great return--wisdom about what matters.  The truth about the best investments.  The best places to invest my time and talents and resources.

"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.  Though it costs all you have, get understanding."  Proverbs 4:7

Blessings,

Pastor Mike