Life Stories

Do you recall the story about the two men who built nearly identical houses in the same Chicago suburb? The builders used the same kind of lumber and vinyl siding, and the same style of bricks on the chimneys. There was only one difference. To save money, one of the homeowners cut corners on the foundation and built it as cheaply as possible. But ever since last winter's heavy storms pounded the Chicago area, the house with an inferior foundation has developed serious cracks and leaks. The problems are so serious, the house may have to be torn down and rebuilt.

Or perhaps you have heard the story about the young women whose friend asked them to be bridesmaids in her wedding. They got their hair done and visited a manicurist so they would look their best. The wedding was scheduled for Saturday evening, so some of the bridesmaids decided to wait and pick up their dresses on Saturday morning. But when they arrived at the dressmaker's shop, they found that it was closed on Saturdays and there was no way to get their dresses. Frustrated and embarrassed, the bridesmaids ended up missing the wedding altogether.

And then there's the story of the man who made it big in the stock market. He worked for a well-known company in Dallas, and each afternoon he would stare out the window of his spacious office and daydream about what he planned to do on the weekend. Most Friday and Saturday nights found him at a favorite night spot, and he enjoyed spending Sunday afternoons at a sports bar with his friends or relaxing at a family-owned ranch outside of Fort Worth. He seldom prayed, and never went to church. When a friend invited him to a Bible study, he declined and thought, Who cares about that religious stuff when you're busy making money and having a good time?

Sometimes he would dream about what he wanted to buy next. "A Jaguar," he told himself. "I've always wanted to own a Jaguar." So he fastened a photo of a Jaguar convertible on his refrigerator door with a little magnet. Every morning and evening, he looked at the photo and pictured himself driving with the convertible top down, his hair blowing in the wind.

As business continued to grow, the man dreamed about other acquisitions. "A condo in Florida," he decided, "and one in California. Maybe even one in Maine." He got pictures of the condos and fastened them on his refrigerator door.

Then one day he went to the doctor for his annual checkup, and when the tests came back something didn't look right. A couple of weeks later, his physician told him some shocking news. "I'm sorry," the doctor said, "but you only have a short time to live."

Stunned, the man drove home from the doctor's office. Walking into the kitchen, he took the pictures down from his refrigerator, and tossed them into the garbage can. And he sat down at the kitchen table and cried.

These aren't really my stories, of course. They are simply contemporary retellings of Jesus' stories about the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27), the five foolish virgins who were unprepared for the bridegroom's arrival (Matthew 25:1-13), and the rich fool who stored up things for himself but was not "rich toward God" (Luke 12:16-21).

This year, what kind of stories will we write on the pages of our lives? Stories of wisdom, or foolishness? Stories of love for God, or love for the things of this world?