Lost in the Lettuce

LOST in the LETTUCE

What!! I couldn’t believe it. My wedding ring had slipped off my finger into a full bin of iceberg lettuce.

I did a quick mental quiz. Have I lost weight unknowingly? Did I not eat any salt today? Is cooler weather keeping my fingers from swelling? My answer to all three was I don’t know, but I’ve got to DO something!

Feeling like a crazy woman, I started piling up the lettuce to the back of the bin. I could see my ring between the iron grates. Even more worrisome was the slot in the front, not far from my ring. I didn’t want it lost down there!

I struggled to pick the ring up between two fingers. When that didn’t work, I walked through the swinging doors to the back of the produce department. “Hello!” I shouted. “Hello!” There was no response and I didn’t see anyone.

I’m on my own, I thought. Maybe I can pull it out with a couple of pens. I hurriedly dug through my purse. With a ballpoint pen in each hand I tried using one pen to push my ring onto the clip of the other. The ring would go on but then slip off when I lifted it up.

It was a relief to see I was still alone. I thought I’m going to have to push my fingers through that grate to get my ring. It hurt, but I struggled again to hold onto the ring while I pulled it free.

When I finally got it back on my finger I felt like shouting, “I got it!” It was then a story came to mind about the search for a valuable pearl.

It’s an extremely short story, only about twenty-eight words. Jesus’ stories, or parables, used common things to illustrate spiritual truths.

The story that came to mind was this: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! (Matthew 13:45-46 NLT).

My wedding ring, like that pearl, was valuable to me. I wasn’t about to leave it laying in the lettuce bin!

Parables can illustrate more than one truth. Feeling the ring on my finger, still loose, I thought about the effort the man put forth to own the choice pearl. He sold everything he had to make it his own.

The Kingdom of Heaven, like the pearl, is very desirable. The question is, how much value do we place on it? Our answer is shown by the effort we make to pursue it.

To seek the Kingdom of God means to give God first priority in our life. We apply His guidelines to personal decisions and are not swayed by others' goals or opinions.

Lettuce is quite perishable. In a world filled with lettuce-like values, we need to pursue the pearl and not get lost in the lettuce.