I’ve never had very good luck with wallets. Usually I opt for the cheap ones at Wal-Mart or Target in order to save a few dollars, but inevitably they end up ripping within a year or so. My latest saga happened while I was in Gatlinburg, TN last week when I discovered a huge rip right in the slot which holds my credit cards. Fearing that one of them would slip out, I determined to purchase a halfway decent wallet and before I knew it I found myself wandering through a little leather shop called The Cowboy Way. Yee-haw! Initially I thought I was on the original set of Hee-Haw! If you know me, I am the furthest thing from a cowboy. I don’t shoot guns, ride horses, wear boots, and I especially don’t listen to country music. Needless to say, I was extremely out of place in this store. At first I was walking around aimlessly through the aisles of flashy boots and leather goods while being serenaded by awful music, but I finally gave in and asked the cowgirl if they had any wallets. She walked me over to a display case where she showed me my options…blah…blah…blah. “Just give me one that will go the distance, ma’am.” I made my purchase and rode off into the sunset.

Although I like the wallet, it really has a strong scent of leather that permeates everything. I actually, kind of like it. In fact, the other day I was in line at my local grocery store and when I pulled out my brand-spankin’ new wallet the cashier thought the smell was coming from the National Geographic Magazine I was purchasing. She put her nose right up to the magazine and said, “This thing has a really strong smell.” She then began telling the man who was bagging my groceries to also smell the magazine. I kindly explained that the smell was not a Scratch-n-Sniff National Geographic, but rather my newly purchased wallet from Tennessee. I then put it right up to her nose so she could take a huge whiff. I wonder what the people in line behind me thought.

Several days have passed and the new smell is beginning to wear off little by little. Pretty soon, I’ll bet you won’t even be able to smell it at all. It’s a shame when something new loses its impact.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven – Matthew 5:13-16

At the beginning of the school year, Leah and I felt like both of our kids were at the age where they could handle some light responsibility around the house. If you visited our house today you would find that agreed-upon list of responsibilities taped to the hallway in between their rooms. Most of the things on the list are pretty simple – clean your room, blah, blah, blah. I tried to slip in some good ones such as mow the yard, but since our lawnmower weighs more than they do, we decided that this would be unfair…maybe next year. Along with this list, we decided to also implement a system of rewards and consequences. The most important factor to them is the $2.50 they receive if they complete their responsibilities. Some of you think this is unfair and cheap labor. Others of you may think children should not be rewarded for tasks they should already be doing. Oh, well. My daughter is very religious about doing these assignments, even if her idea of cleaning her room is rearranging things – mostly to underneath the bed. My son, however, is not so excited about the “list” until it comes time for the money to be given out. Last week, Lexi did all her chores during the week but Ty did not do anything. Toward the end of the week, my wife reminded him of this so he began furiously working for one day. He explained to me that even though he had not done his chores during the week, he had completed some “make-up work.” That is what he called it. In reality he did complete the work, even if it was late. He will get the same reward as Lexi.This situation reminded me of a parable in the Bible found in Matthew 20:1-16. A landowner goes out to hire men to work in his vineyard. He hired some to work early in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some an hour before the end of the day. When it came time to pay the workers, each of them received a full day’s wage regardless of the amount of time worked. Those who had worked all day became upset at the landowner for not giving them more. How could those who only worked one hour receive the same wage as those who labored all day? The answer is not found in laborers, but in the fact that the landowner was kind and gracious. The landowner represents God the Father who is gracious to all those who labor for Him…even those who begin their work later in life. Remember that it is never too late to do something that matters for the kingdom of God.