First published in May of 2003

 

Larry (looking back) – “Uh-oh!”…

 ME – “Don’t tell me it’s not back there!”…

 Larry – “It’s not back there!”…

 Me – “I told you not to tell me that!”

           Those of you who know who Maxwell Smart is will probably recognize the inspiration for that series of comments… it will also date them!

           In the spring of 1971, Larry’s, Henry’s and my senior year of high school, the A Cappella Choir was preparing for the last concert of the year. Since the three of us had collaborated on everything from homecoming floats to sets and scenery for many plays and musicals throughout our high school years, as well as designing, building, and operating virtually every sound and lighting system used there during the same time period, it only seemed natural for us to volunteer to build the props for what was to be our last high school performance. The entire thing was to have a ‘Spring in the Air’ kind of theme, so we decided on portraying a gigantic picnic scene. Our twenty-dollar budget disappeared quickly as we bought the materials to build a 4X4X8 foot pic-i-nic basket, (I know… the spell checker doesn’t like it either, but that’s the way Yogi  always said it!) as well as what the girls on our committee needed to make a 6-foot paper-maché chicken leg.

           We worked in the machine shed on our farm putting everything together except for the final, finishing touches, which we intended to add ‘on site’. On the Saturday of the concert, I borrowed Dad’s pickup, and the three of us loaded our 4X4X8 foot pic-i-nic basket into the back and headed into town.

 Included in the twelve odd-miles between our farm and the high school was a two-mile stretch of highway, and I opted to show them that, yes, that pickup would do 70 mph. (Remember, the speed limit was 65, back then.) As we crossed through town towards the school, Larry chanced to look out the back window. That’s when the above conversation took place.

           Once I realized he was telling the truth, that ‘sinking feeling’ moved into my stomach as I turned the truck around and began to retrace our path. Sure enough, just at the site where I was showing them what Dad’s pickup could do was a large assortment of shattered lumber… actually, most of it was little more than splinters by then!

           We gathered up what looked usable and got the rest of it off of the road, then took inventory and worked out our next step. Using our own scarce dollars and what pieces we were able to salvage, we put together an entirely newly engineered 4X4X8 foot pic-i-nic basket and had it there before the concert. And in point of fact, the 6-foot chicken leg, 8-foot paper plate and oversized fork and spoon that were waiting there for us probably looked better with it than what we had first put together!

          How easy it is, sometimes, to lose track of what our first course of business is supposed to be! I was so easily distracted… by the familiarity of driving on that stretch of road, laughing and joking with my friends, and, yes, wanting to ‘show-off’ a little bit… that I completely forgot about what our main purpose was for being there… the load in the back of the truck!

           All of us should know what the Great Commandment is. In Deuteronomy 6: 4 we are told to, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” In Mathew 22, verse 37, Jesus repeats it as, “the first and greatest commandment.” So it should be very clear to each of us what our priority is supposed to be… what that ‘load’ is in the back of our truck, if you will. But all too easily we let ourselves be distracted with everything that the world has to offer… the colors, the lights, the speed… after all, we live in a secular world, and everything about it is ‘designed’ to distract us with various pleasures!

           But we humans have the power to set our own priorities… we decide what we want to think about… we decide how we spend our money… we decide how to allot our time.

           The story is told of a man with two dogs fighting for his attention. Which dog will survive? The one that he feeds! The other will die! By the same token, God and Satan are also fighting for your attention! And which ever one you feed… that is, which ever one’s priorities you accept… will survive in your soul… and the other will be dead to you!

          What are your values… what are your beliefs… what are your ideals… where is your commitment?

 

What is in your heart? Who is in your soul?

Which dog are you feeding?