I was studying my Sunday school lesson, this evening. The subject was about being diligent in our stewardship of what God has allowed us to have. The subject covered more than just money.
The title of the second point was “Carelessness Leads To Disaster!” (by Greg Keenen). The scripture reference was from Proverbs 10:4-5 (by King Soloman).
4 He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame. Proverbs 10:4-5 NKJV
Pastor Greg pointed out the phrase “slack hand” means “lazy” or “careless”.
The point reminded me of an event in my youth. I’ve never been lazy, but I have been careless.
While I was still dating Terrie, her dad bought a new 1972 Chrysler Newport. That car was huge. I think it was about the same size as a tuna boat!
Having spent a few hours at the dealership with Paul (Terrie’s dad), I was looking at cars that fitted my tastes.
I was thinking of the Charger Super Bee similar to this yellow car. But I did have enough sense to realize the cost of insurance would have been very high for a twenty year old male.
But even with that knowledge, I still thought I could trade in my 1965 Ford Mustang and get a new 1972 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus. And that’s what I did. On a Friday evening, I purchased a brown two toned Sebring Plus, saying goodbye to my Mustang.
The new car had a 318 V8 engine and white vinyl interior. It was sharp and had that wonderful smell.
But a strange thing happened on Saturday. I began to think about how I was going to pay for it. I sat down to list my income and then I listed my expenses. It was then that I realized I would be short $100 (1972 money is now equivalent to a little over $400) a month. That will take the shine off of a new penny.
So, I drove it to work Monday morning and right after work, I drove it back to the dealership and asked for my Mustang back, which they did give me after trying to sell me a used car.
I don’t know if you have ever had something like that happen to you. I was careless. I had not given a thought about how I was going to pay for the car. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment. I was trying to show Paul that I could do it too, but I was instead, humbled and embarrassed by my immaturity.
Let’s be diligent like the wise son and not be shamed. You may have to wait, but you will not have the regrets.
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