Trade

A second-grader earned enough "tokens" at church this month to purchase a new Bible from the rewards store. He was so excited about it that he hardly paid attention to the lesson as he flipped through the chapters, asking me how to pronounce certain words. At the end of the service as I helped him gather his belongings to leave, I noticed that he did not have his new Bible.

"I traded it for a box of candy," he told me. Initially, I laughed and made a joke of it with his father (who was not amused, by the way).

Now, I'm thinking how easy it is for all of us to compromise in order to experience immediate gratification. The disciples slept while Jesus prayed in the garden the night before his crucifixion. But they were tired. Peter denied Him. But he was frightened.

I'm going to try to read my Bible more. Even though I'm busy.