“For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world.” (I John 2:16 NLT)
Mario was an adolescent boy who lived in one of the old federal apartment projects, consisting of three buildings, each with their own street address and entry way. Each building was seven stories high, made out of brick, and the apartments in each building had two bedrooms. One room was the parent’s bedroom, and the other room was designated as the girls’ bedroom. So where did Mario sleep? He alternated sleeping spaces in the living room with his brother. One week Mario would sleep on the couch and his brother, Mason, would sleep on two chairs pulled together to form a makeshift bed. The next week the brothers would switch. There was one bathroom. There was no suite, only one bathroom. There was no Jack-and-Jill bathroom, only one bathroom. Both the father and the mother worked, but their combined annual income did not escape the classification of living below the poverty level. If you were to see where Mario lived back in the day, you might feel sorry for him. But in spite of the family’s economic status, you would not know that their status affected them, not one bit. For they were taught to be thankful for the blessings they did have, not the conditions of other who had more. As a lesson for us, we ought to be like Mario and his family. While directing our children to do better than our generation, on their way upward, we should be teaching and instilling the mindset of being thankful for what you do have, in all circumstances. In the case of Mario and his siblings they were taught about contentment as expressed by the Apostle Paul who had learned to be content, regardless if he had little or had much. This was a Christian home in which Mario lived so the Apostles words had been emphasized in the parent’s obligation or duty of teaching their children.
However, in spite of the teachings, and in spite of learning to be thankful, and in spite of learning something about contentment, there would be times where Mario envied other children, adolescents who lived in “better” neighborhoods and were always dressed in clothing that matched the changing, stylish trends, year after year. It should be noted that some of these homes in better neighborhoods were not all better off, because in some of their homes they were missing something, better said, they were missing someone, and better understood, they were missing one know by a name that is above all names, “Jesus.” Another lesson: When Jesus is missing in the home, it is not a “better” place.
Let’s get back to Mario. Mario was a superb athlete. He could run fast, jump high, and hold his own in neighborhood, pick-up, playground basketball games. He did this even thought his tennis shoes were not the best for playing basketball on the concrete courts in the pare of the wooder flood in the community center or the school gym. Stopping on a dime and avoiding slipping on these courts was challenging for Mario. He was often the source of many jokes about his shoes. The parents did the best they could, and Mario understood how they provided for their children faithfully. Their priority was to put the children’s well-being, as best as they could, before their own. That’s another lesson for parents who dress en vogue, while their children have no choice but to dress somewhat like contemporary paupers. Mario wanted to have the shoes that his peers wore. So, Mario got a newspaper route, and he saved all the money he made until he had enough to buy some better tennis shoes. After several months of disciplinary saving, Mario’s jar, the one in which he kept his money stashed and hidden under his bed was full. Mario counted his money, and he had amassed enough cash to buy the shoes he had dreamed about and wanted so desperately. One day Mario walks downtown to the shoe store that carried sport equipment, including the tennis shoes that were like the kids who seemed to be “better off.”
As soon as he gets to the shoe section, he sees the shoes. His smile hardly fits his face and internally, he was burning with excitement. Nothing else entered his vision, but the display shoes. The shoe salesperson came over and measured Mario’s foot. They used to do that back in those days. After determining Mario’s proper size, the salesperson goes back behind the wall and comes out with two boxes. Mario immediately says, “Uh, sir. I can only buy one pair.” The salesperson smiles and informs Mario that regretfully, they did not have his exact size. One box contained a pair of shoes that were two sizes to big. The other pair of shoes were just a half size below Mario’s measure size. Mario tries the latter shoes on. They are snug and tight. They were tight in two ways; “tight” because they were the popular shoes that other kids were wearing, and tight literally on Mario’s feet. That did not matter. Mario was not going home empty handed. He was not going to wait for the next shipment that was due the next week.. He decided to buy the too tight shoes.
He walked home with his new shoes, still in the box, held tightly under his arm. He could not wait to go and play in the new tight shoes. So, as soon as dinner was over, Mario squeezed his feet into the tight shoes and hurried to the basketball court. After just one game, Mario’s feet were hurting. The grimace on his face gave it away. Mario was in a lot of pain. He surmised, somewhat reluctantly, that the shoes were too tight and that the purchasing decision he made was not good one. Unfortunately, there was no returning them at this point. So Mario had to live with the painful consequences of his choice. He adjusted, but the pain did take a leave of absence.
There have been some lessons in this story, but the primary lesson for you and me in this long story is more than the need for Christian homes in our communities, regardless of economic status. The primary lesson is more than the need to learn about being content, and more than the benefits of being a hard worker as opposed to lazy, and more than being thankful for the blessings we do have. Furthermore, the primary lesson is not about making right choices. The primary lesson is about making the right choices. For when you make the wrong choices, learn the lesson now, or at least be reminded of what you have already been taught; when you make the wrong choice in any area of life, it is just like the outcome with Mario’s tight shoes. Making the wrong choice brings with it bad, unwanted, “could have been” avoided” consequences.
So I leave you with this admonition to start your week: “Regardless of how you think things that are not right will make you happy, understand that making the wrong choice for any reason, will bring about painful outcomes at some level or the other. Make the right choices this week my friend, and I will do the same. Let’s give it our best! Let’s depend on the Lord, okay? Be blessed!
“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 The Message Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King