Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Letting Go of Pool Balls...


Letting Go …

A simple set of pool balls.  A few years ago I bought them new along with a couple of cue sticks when I had been given an inexpensive pool table.  I spent the money so I could play a game that I could play alone.  I enjoy the angles of pool.  Due to reasons I had agreed to, I had to put the pool table on its edge up against the wall.  I thought it would only be a short time, but time passed.  When I could finally get the pool table back out, it had been ruined and I had to throw it away.  I still had the cue sticks and the pool balls, but no table.

Since I was having fundraising garage sales it made sense to put the cue sticks and the pool balls in the sale.  But, any time someone looked at them and asked what I wanted for them I would say a high price so they wouldn’t buy them.  One gal offered me just a couple of dollars.  She wanted to glue them together for decoration!  I couldn’t let them go for that!  They were barely used and needed used for their intended use!  A guy came in a offered me a decent price for the cue sticks.  He said he had a friend with a pool table and he could use a couple good cue sticks.  After several people asked about them and no one wanted my price for them, I started thinking, “Why am I so stubborn about the pool balls? I don’t have a pool table, the cue sticks are gone now, so why am I wanting to hold on to the pool balls?”

Late on a Saturday a couple came to the garage sale and were excited when they saw the pool balls.  They asked me what I wanted for them.  I asked what they intended doing with them.  They explained they play competition pool and are always looking for good pool balls.  They offered a reasonable price and I agreed.

My sadness with those pool balls made me start to think about what God must think of us.  God made us with a purpose, but He also gave us free will.  How disappointed does He get with us when we don’t use our talents and our lives to bring Him glory?  He doesn’t want any to perish.  He paid the ultimate price for our redemption!  We shouldn’t just take our abilities and glue them together, put up on a shelf, to just be admired.  Use your life for Him!

I let the pool balls go to people who would use them for their intended purpose.  May I be used for His glory!