FORGETTING MONA LISA
“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” We’ve heard that time-worn cliché a thousand times— because it’s true. In 1911 the Mona Lisa disappeared for two years. It was stolen. What followed was one of those head-shaking-try-and-figure-this-out experiences. During the two years of its absence, more people visited the spot where Da Vinci’s masterpiece had previously rested than actually viewed the Mona Lisa in the two years prior to its theft! Why? Because we don’t know what we’ve got till it’s gone. Our human default is to move through life more concerned about what we don’t have than to focus on the gifts we possess.
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PUPPY LOVE
Author Max Lucado tells the story of a boy who spied a box of puppies in a pet store window. Stepping inside, he asked the owner, “How much are the puppies?” Learning the price, he headed out. For the next two weeks, he mowed lawns, washed cars, and did extra chores. Finally, he returned and plopped a wad of crumpled bills on the counter. The owner counted them and said, “Okay, go pick out your puppy.” The boy immediately chose a dog with a limp foot.
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HIDING A BAD REPORT CARD
An eleven-year-old Alabama boy faked his own kidnapping in order to hide a bad report card. He told his parents an armed man took him from school at gunpoint and threatened to kill him. The lad claimed he escaped by jumping out of the assailant’s car, but was unable to grab the book bag containing his report card. Eventually the boy confessed to inventing the story.
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PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE ME
Late one night I popped into the grocery store for a gallon of milk. I grabbed my carton of 2 percent from the dairy case in a dimly lit corner of the store. As I clutched my milk, a shadow loomed over me. When I stepped back, a huge man reached in and took one as well. Tattoos covered his arms, and he sported a host of piercings in places I didn’t think were pierceable.
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DIOCLETIAN AND JESUS
Diocletian. His name must have struck terror in the hearts of fourth-century Christians. In 303 A.D. this Roman Emperor launched a brutal assault aimed at obliterating Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Diocletian’s attack was not the first against believers, but certainly the most ruthless.
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PLUGGED INTO GOD'S POWER
Herb Jackson served as a missionary in a developing nation for several years. His mission agency provided him a car, but after a short time, it wouldn't start. For two years, he push-started the vehicle each morning by "borrowing" some boys from the local school to give it a shove. Then he made his rounds for the day, always parking on a hill or leaving the engine running.
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LORD OF LORDS
Very few people are aware that I am a Scottish lord. That’s absolutely true. Well … at least technically. Here’s the story. A few years ago my sister must have figured I needed to rise a little higher in life. She discovered a company that sells tiny plots of land in Scotland. We’re talking really tiny—one foot by five feet to be exact. She purchased a tract for me, which made me a landowner in Scotland, and technically qualified me to be a Scottish lord. Try not to be too impressed. My dining room table is twice that size. I tried to
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