BUYING THE WRONG
THINGS
You have
probably heard the story about a fellow who lived alone and went to a pet store
to buy a parrot. He thought the bird might fill some of his lonely hours. The
very next day, however, he came back to complain, "That bird doesn't
talk."
The store
owner asked if he had a mirror in its cage, and the man said he didn't.
"Oh, parrots love mirrors," he explained. "When he sees his
reflection in the mirror he'll start talking away." So he sold him a
birdcage mirror.
The bird
owner was back the next day to gripe that his parrot still hadn't said a word.
"That's very peculiar," allowed the pet expert. "How about a
swing? Birds love little swings and a happy parrot is a talkative parrot."
So the man bought a swing, took it home and installed it in the cage.
But he was
back the next day with the same story. "Does he have a ladder to
climb?" the salesman asked. "That just has to be the problem. Once he
has a ladder he'll probably talk your ear off!" So the fellow bought a
ladder.
The man was
back in the pet store when it opened the next day. From the look on his face,
the owner knew something was wrong. "Didn't your parrot like the ladder?”
he asked. His repeat customer looked up and said, "The parrot died."
"I'm so
sorry," the stunned businessman said. "Did he ever say
anything?" "Well, yes, he finally talked just before he died. In a
weak little voice he asked, 'Don't they sell bird seed at that pet
store?'"
We often have the problem of buying the wrong things. We buy
into the world’s philosophy of he who dies with the most toys wins. We get so
involved accumulating those things we think are important, but fail to acquire
what is really important. In John 12:15, Jesus says, “Take heed and beware of
covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he
possesses.” He then goes on to tell of a farmer who had a bumper crop. His
harvest was so great his barns were not big enough to store it all. He thought
he had everything he needed. “But God said to him, Fool! This night you soul
will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have
provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God” (Luke
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). We need to be careful and make sure that we are not so busy lining our cages with toys that our souls are starving to death.
--Lamar