Anne sat at the breakfast table, eating her cornflakes and reading the
print on the cereal box in front of her. "Tastee Cornflakes - Great New
Offer!" the box read. "See back of box for details."
Anne's older sister, Mary, sat across from her, reading the other side of
the cereal box. "Hey, Anne," she said, "look at this awesome prize - `your
name in gold'."
As Mary read on, Anne's interest in the prize grew. "Just send in one
dollar with proof-of-purchase seal from this box and spell out your first name
on the information blank. We will send you a special pin with your name
spelled in gold. (Only one per family, please.)"
Anne grabbed the box and looked on the back, her eyes brightening with
excitement.
The name "Jennifer" was spelled out in sparkling gold. "That's a neat
idea," she said. "A pin with my very own name spelled out in gold. I'm going
to send in for it."
"Sorry, Anne, I saw it first," said Mary, "so I get first dibs on it. Besides,
you don't have a dollar to send in, and I do."
"But I want a pin like that so badly," said Anne. "Please let me have it!"
"Nope," said her sister.
"You always get your way - just because you're older than me," said
Anne, her lower lip trembling as her eyes filled with tears. "Just go ahead
and send in for it. See if I care!" She threw down her spoon and ran from the
kitchen.
Several weeks passed. One day the mailman brought a small package
addressed to Mary. Anne was dying to see the pin, but she wouldn't let Mary
know how eager she was. Mary took the package to her room. Anne casually
followed her in and sat on the bed.
"Well, I guess they sent you your pin. I sure hope you like it," Anne said
in a mean voice.
Mary slowly took the paper off the package. She opened a little white box
and carefully lifted off the top layer of white cotton. "Oh, it's beautiful!"
Mary said. "Just like the cereal box said, `your name in gold'. Four
beautiful letters. Would you like to see it, Anne?"
"No, I don't care about your dumb old pin."
Mary put the white box on the dresser and went downstairs.
Anne was alone in the bedroom. Soon she couldn't wait any longer, so she
walked over to the dresser. As she looked in the small white box, she gasped.
Mixed feelings of love for her sister and shame at herself welled up within her,
and the pin became a sparkling gold blur through her tears.
There on the pin were four beautiful letters - her name in gold: A-N-N-E.
By A. F. Bauman
Sometimes We Get It All Wrong...
Sometimes, we think that we have it all figured out. We see things, hear
things and worry about things and then we come to conclusions that are all
wrong. Have you ever done that? I know I have.
When we find ourselves about to jump to a conclusion we need to stop and
realize that we might be totally wrong. We need to give people the benefit of
the doubt until we know all the facts and even then we need to make sure that
we have given them an opportunity to explain the situation to us. After all
that is the Christian way. We are suppose to accept people at face value until
they prove us wrong.
Sometimes.. we get the wrong idea about God. We think He doesn't care or
really love us. Well, we are wrong. He does love us. He loves us enough to
send His son, Jesus, to make a way for us.. to have our names written in Gold
across His heart!
God loves you.. and so do we.
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