This is a story that I heard at a VBS when I was in the fourth grade. I don't remember it word-for-word, but the meaning stuck with me. Thank you to the writer who read his amazing interpretation of the gospel with us.
I awoke in a beautiful place. I wasn’t quite sure where I was, but I was mesmerized by everything that was surrounding me. I got up and walked to a small little building and walked in the door. A man was sitting behind desk and was typing on a keyboard. He didn’t even look up at me to say, “You take it, you buy it.”
I was barely even listening. How could I? I was too busy staring at all the beautiful stones and gems that lined the shelves. I decided that I could not afford everything that I wanted. I didn’t have that much. I didn’t even know how much I had brought with me. I grabbed a basket that was near the doorway and tried to control myself as I walked up and down the aisles. It was weird, I was the only one here. At an uncontrollable rate, my hand flew from my basket to the shelves grabbing everything that I wanted. I couldn’t stop. I told myself that I couldn’t afford it, but I just wanted to feel like I actually had it. My basket on my arm was getting heavier and heavier, and I started to walk slower because my arm hurt so much. After I had grabbed at least one of everything, I stopped to see how much was actually in my basket. I couldn’t believe what I had done. I could not in any possible way, afford all of this, even if I had brought all I had. I just grabbed everything without even looking at the price.
Hoping that in some way all of the stones and gems that were in my basket were cheap, I walked back to check the price. To my dismay, my first assumption was correct: I could not afford any of it, not even one. So even in my reluctance, I had to part with all of the beautiful stones and gems that were in my basket. I walked back to the first aisle to put the first jewels back, but when I reached into the basket to pull them out, they wouldn’t budge, none of them would. I tried to pull out any of them, but they were all stuck. I couldn’t do it. I decided to just set the basket down and walk out of the store and never look back, but I couldn’t let go of it. It was connected. It was now a part of me. I had no choice. I would just have to sneak past the man at the desk and hope that he didn’t see me carrying the bag. I slowly removed myself from the aisles and walked towards the door, trying not to be too loud. Right before I was going to make it successfully out of the door, the man at the desk stopped typing and looked up at me.
“Excuse me but, aren’t you going to pay for those?” I didn’t know what to say. Maybe if I told him what happened with me and the basket and left him with a little money, he would understand and let me go. I reached for my wallet and despair rose all the way up to my throat. I had nothing. There was no money in any of my pockets. I felt my heart rate begin to accelerate and sweat began to bead on my forehead. His eyes drilled into me, as he looked at me with an unwavering stare.
“Well?” he said, at last.
“I…um…I…,” I stammered. I had no idea what to say or do but to just stand there. I couldn’t pay for it. I couldn’t tell him that I had no money. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. There was no way. I couldn’t escape and it was my own fault. I knew that I couldn’t afford it before I even grabbed it.
“Sir are you going to pay or not?” He said again.
“Well you see I was, um...,” I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look at a man standing behind me smiling.
“Here I have it,” the Man said. He took out everything in his wallet. I tried to tell him he couldn’t do that for me, but then I stopped myself. There was no other way out. I felt the heat burn on my cheeks as he put his hand on my back and lead me outside.
“Thank you, so much,” I told him. “How can I ever repay you?”
“You don’t have to,” he replied. “You’re one of my father’s. You’re already paid for.”
I awoke in a beautiful place. I wasn’t quite sure where I was, but I was mesmerized by everything that was surrounding me. I got up and walked to a small little building and walked in the door. A man was sitting behind desk and was typing on a keyboard. He didn’t even look up at me to say, “You take it, you buy it.”
I was barely even listening. How could I? I was too busy staring at all the beautiful stones and gems that lined the shelves. I decided that I could not afford everything that I wanted. I didn’t have that much. I didn’t even know how much I had brought with me. I grabbed a basket that was near the doorway and tried to control myself as I walked up and down the aisles. It was weird, I was the only one here. At an uncontrollable rate, my hand flew from my basket to the shelves grabbing everything that I wanted. I couldn’t stop. I told myself that I couldn’t afford it, but I just wanted to feel like I actually had it. My basket on my arm was getting heavier and heavier, and I started to walk slower because my arm hurt so much. After I had grabbed at least one of everything, I stopped to see how much was actually in my basket. I couldn’t believe what I had done. I could not in any possible way, afford all of this, even if I had brought all I had. I just grabbed everything without even looking at the price.
Hoping that in some way all of the stones and gems that were in my basket were cheap, I walked back to check the price. To my dismay, my first assumption was correct: I could not afford any of it, not even one. So even in my reluctance, I had to part with all of the beautiful stones and gems that were in my basket. I walked back to the first aisle to put the first jewels back, but when I reached into the basket to pull them out, they wouldn’t budge, none of them would. I tried to pull out any of them, but they were all stuck. I couldn’t do it. I decided to just set the basket down and walk out of the store and never look back, but I couldn’t let go of it. It was connected. It was now a part of me. I had no choice. I would just have to sneak past the man at the desk and hope that he didn’t see me carrying the bag. I slowly removed myself from the aisles and walked towards the door, trying not to be too loud. Right before I was going to make it successfully out of the door, the man at the desk stopped typing and looked up at me.
“Excuse me but, aren’t you going to pay for those?” I didn’t know what to say. Maybe if I told him what happened with me and the basket and left him with a little money, he would understand and let me go. I reached for my wallet and despair rose all the way up to my throat. I had nothing. There was no money in any of my pockets. I felt my heart rate begin to accelerate and sweat began to bead on my forehead. His eyes drilled into me, as he looked at me with an unwavering stare.
“Well?” he said, at last.
“I…um…I…,” I stammered. I had no idea what to say or do but to just stand there. I couldn’t pay for it. I couldn’t tell him that I had no money. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. There was no way. I couldn’t escape and it was my own fault. I knew that I couldn’t afford it before I even grabbed it.
“Sir are you going to pay or not?” He said again.
“Well you see I was, um...,” I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look at a man standing behind me smiling.
“Here I have it,” the Man said. He took out everything in his wallet. I tried to tell him he couldn’t do that for me, but then I stopped myself. There was no other way out. I felt the heat burn on my cheeks as he put his hand on my back and lead me outside.
“Thank you, so much,” I told him. “How can I ever repay you?”
“You don’t have to,” he replied. “You’re one of my father’s. You’re already paid for.”