Careful What You Wish For

By Gobel Brockman


A priest, a rabbi, and a pastor were stranded on a deserted island. In spite of their theological differences they became close friends. One day a ceramic lamp washed ashore. When one of them picked it up, a genie appeared. (Oops, I forgot to tell you - this is NOT a true story.) The genie said, "Normally when someone finds me I grant them three wishes. What I will do in this case is grant each of you one wish."

     The priest said, "I wish I was at St. Peter's Square in Vatican City."
*POOF* He was gone.
     The rabbi said, "I wish I was at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem."
*POOF* He was gone.
     The pastor looked around and realized his friends were no longer there. With a twinge of sadness in his voice he muttered to himself, "I miss those guys. I wish they were back here..."
*POOF*.....


Have you ever wanted something so bad that it was all you could think of, then when you got it the joy only lasted for a short while? "Buyer's Remorse" is a common affliction. How often do we strive for things, only to realize they didn't really give us the joy we thought they would? We buy a new car and before we pull in the driveway we start thinking of the higher plate fees and insurance, and worry that it will get 'dinged' in the parking lot before we make the first payment. A business professional spends countless hours striving to make it in their chosen field, only to realize that the price tag was time away from their family that they'll never get back. We spend so much time wishing for things we don't have that we sometimes fail to enjoy the things that are right in front of us. How often do people buy things they can't afford, with money they don't have, hoping to impress people they don't like? As I heard a former pastor say, "Sometimes we get so busy living that we forget to have a life."

Jesus told a parable in Mark 4 about a farmer sowing seed. He said some fell by the wayside, some among rocky ground, some among thorns, and some upon good soil. The part that stands out to me in that story are the ones that fell among thorns. Jesus said those are the ones who hear the word of God, but then "...the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, so that it proves unfruitful." That really hits home to me. We have the greatest thing we will ever have - a relationship with God through what Jesus did on the cross - and yet how much time do we spend (AKA "waste") wishing for things that won't satisfy and won't last? We sure can be a hard-headed bunch, can't we?

I'm not saying it's wrong to enjoy things. I'm saying let's keep it in the front of our minds that that's all they are - things. I've never heard of anyone on their deathbed saying, "Please let me see my bank statement one last time" or "I want to see my Bachelor's Degree" or "Please bring me a picture of my car." What I have seen is people wanting to be with the ones who have loved them, and pray to and worship the Savior whom they have lived for. THAT'S where the real treasure is. I hope that we all remember that there's nothing greater than knowing Jesus, and this world has nothing to offer to take His place.

I also hope that if I'm ever stranded on a deserted island with a pastor, his name isn't Pastor Gilligan.