Tag Archives: Caedmon’s Call

This One’s Mine

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

My first year teaching in Texas introduced me to the concept of a Silent Auction during the annual spring fundraising carnival, where teachers are put up for auction. Well. I guess we weren’t actually going to the highest bidder. Instead, what we offered in return for the highest bid was.

Nevertheless, the whole idea frightened me. What if none of my students bid on spending time with me? How horrible would that be?

I needn’t worry, because it seems I was more in demand than I imagined!

Filled with trepidation, I nonchalantly wandered through the Silent Auction area before heading to whatever volunteer post I had at the time.

Relief filled my soul when I saw someone had indeed placed a bid on the sheet with my name at the top offering a day of bowling with a friend of their choice, and me.

The student was McKenzie.

Throughout the day I checked my sheet and noticed whenever someone other than McKenzie placed a bid, her name appeared immediately beneath it with a higher bid.

At some point in the day as I wandered through the Silent Auction area, I noticed McKenzie stood next to my sheet.

After it was announced McKenzie was the highest bidder for the outing, her mother approached.

I told her I was glad McKenzie won, and looked forward to our time together. She told me the last time her daughter came asking to up her bid one more time, she’d told her an amount, and said that was as high as she’d go.

She went on to explain once McKenzie wrote that final bid, the third grader wouldn’t budge from the sheet. Instead, she placed her hand on it and turned all other bidders away by saying, “This one’s mine.”

That almost brought tears to my eyes when I realized spending time with me was so important, so valuable, to my little third grader she was willing to forego experiencing all the pleasure and excitement of the carnival to protect her time with me.

As I thought about this scene from almost eighteen years ago, I remembered someone else who said, “This one’s mine.” Jesus.

 

Each time Jesus stands before his Father in heaven pleading our case on our behalf, he puts his hand on the Book of Life where our name is written, and boldly proclaims, “This one’s mine.”

Jesus paid a high price to spend time with us.

He left his throne in glory to come to earth and live among his creation. He willingly allowed himself to be treated as the worst of criminals, tortured, and crucified for me. For you. Just so he could say of us, “This one’s mine.”

Jesus sacrificed his all so he could spend time with us.

How much are we willing to sacrifice to spend time with him?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his position as our High Priest, with the honor and rank of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20 (TLB)

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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No Fear of Running Out of Tickets

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By Sandy Kirby Quandt

In the late 1960s, my parents and I visited my dad’s brother and sister-in-law. During that trip, Uncle Aylen and Aunt Leila took us to Disneyland. What a treat!!!

Unlike today, at that time you purchased individual coupon books for the rides. Inside each book were coupons listed “A” to “E”. “A” tickets got you a ride on the Main Street bus. With a “B” ticket you were able to walk through Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Not all that exciting. “C” got you a spin on the Madhatter’s Tea Cups. The Jungle Cruise cost you a “D” ticket. With an “E” ticket, you were allowed onto the Matterhorn bobsled and the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. A must for us, since Uncle Aylen was a conductor for Santa Fe.

 

The “A” tickets were the smallest, and least exciting. The tickets worked their way up from there to the most advanced and most popular “E” rides.

Those coupons were great! They helped me learn to prioritize because once I’d spent that ticket, it was gone. The major drawback with the coupon book was the fact there were more “A” tickets in each book than there were “E” ride tickets. Imagine that. I don’t remember leaving Disney without experiencing all the rides I desired, but I sure did wish some of my leftover “A” tickets could have been spent on  “E” rides.

Thinking about those tickets got me to consider God and how very grateful I am he doesn’t dole out his mercies the way Disney doled out tickets to “E” rides.

What if all we got in life was a bunch of boring, small sized “A” ride blessings? You can only ride up and down Main Street so many times you know, before you begin to wish for something more.

Maybe there would be a few “C” rides thrown in to appease us where we controlled the table of the tea cup and made it spin like crazy, until we were so dizzy we couldn’t walk straight when we exited.

But a chance to sit up front on the Matterhorn bobsled as it pops out of the mountain, eases over the edge, and plunges through the water at the bottom like I did with my uncle and father? Priceless.

God’s mercies are new every morning. We won’t ever have to worry about using them all up. Those mercies may not all be “E” rides, but then even the Matterhorn bobsled would grow tiresome if that’s all you ever rode. Don’t you think?

But for those of us who acknowledge Jesus as Lord of our lives, we’ll be able to walk the streets of heaven with him. Talk about an out-of-this-world “E” ride!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment below. If you think others would appreciate reading this please share it through the social media buttons.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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