"I WILL TRADE"

Maggie and her husband, Rory owned “Spoon & Fork Pantry,” a neighborhood grocery store in Fiddler’s Bend, Oklahoma located on the scenic Illinois River. Their mom and pop market did a steady business year round as they were located thirty miles northeast of Tahlequah, OK and 20 minutes west of West Siloam Springs, Ark. Because of the rural mountain and river areas their grocery store was the nearest food supply for thousands of mountain and river residents as well as river tourists and sportsmen during those seasons.

In addition to the grocery store Maggie and Rory operated an adjacent farmer’s and flea market for the area residents to sell their home grown produce or homemade crafts.

Maggie was finishing up bagging a customer’s purchase of groceries when she noticed a small boy, with ragged clothes but clean, hungrily looking at a basket of freshly picked green peas. Maggie approached the young boy and said “I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.” The boy shuffled his feet and continued his stare at the basket of bright green peas when Maggie’s husband Rory walked up and saying; “Hi Hank, how are you today?”

“Hey Mr. Rory, I’m fine and just admiring those green peas, they sure look tasty.” Rory replied to the boy saying; “Hank they are good. How’s your mother?”

The boy responded; “She’s fine and getting stronger all the time. Thank you for asking.” That’s great,” Rory replied and then asked; “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No Mr. Rory, I was just admiring them peas.” Rory asked; “Would you like to take some home?” But the boy shook his head in the negative saying; “No sir, I got nothing to pay for them.”

Rory glanced at his wife with a wink then asked the boy; “You got anything to trade me for some of those peas? It’s your lucky day as I’m in the horse trading mood.”

The boy said; “All I got is my prize marble in my pocket.” Rory said; “Well let me look at it and see if I can trade you for it.” Pulling it out of his ragged jeans, the boy said; “Here it is Mr. Rory. She’s a dandy.”

Rory made a perplexed face saying; “It is a real dandy but only thing it is blue and I sort of go for those tiger eye looking marbles. Do you have any tiger eye marbles like this at home?” The boy replied; “Not exactly but almost.”

Rory told him; “Tell you what I’ll do. You take a sack of the green peas home with you and your next trip this way, let me look at the tiger eye marble.” The boy’s eyes were glistening and with a big grin he said; “Sure will and thank you Mr. Rory.”

Maggie began bagging the young boy some peas when another shopper who had witnessed the green pea and tiger eye marble horse trading gave a quizzical look to Maggie.

With a smile Maggie said; “There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Rory just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, hamburger meat or whatever. When they come back with their tiger eye marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like tiger eye after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an polka dotted one.” The shopper who was a tourist doing some river rafting left the store smiling to herself, impressed with Rory.

Several years went by, the tourist/shopper had occasion to return to Fiddler’s Bend on another river rafting excursion with friends. She had told her friends about Rory and his horse trading for groceries and what a decent man he was.

Entering the market, she learned that Rory had died a few days before and they were having his viewing that evening. She didn’t know why but she was drawn to attending the viewing and paying her respects to Rory’s wife.

Upon arrival at the mortuary she fell into line to meet the relatives of Rory to offer whatever words of comfort she could.

Directly in front of her in the line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... all very professional looking.

They approached Maggie who was standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket.

Maggie’s misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly, placing his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Then each one them left the mortuary awkwardly while they were wiping their eyes.

The lady tourist/shopper’s turn came to meet Maggie. She told her who she was and mentioned the green peas and tiger eye marble horse trading story she had witnessed five years earlier. Maggie’s eyes were moistening as she took the lady’s hand and led her to the casket.

Standing at the casket, Maggie told her; “One of those three young men who just left was the boy you saw Rory telling “I’ll trade you” for the peas and the other two boys are the one’s I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Rory “traded” them. Now, at last, when Rory could not change his mind about color or size, they came to pay their debt.”

Maggie added; “We've never had a great deal of the wealth but right now I bet Rory would consider himself the richest man in Oklahoma as she lovingly lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined tiger eye marbles.

God wants to trade our burdens, despair, pain and guilt for waterfront relaxation at His oasis, the immensely real and soothing heaven on earth. God’s Good Book describes His trade at Isaiah 61:3 telling us He wants to trade a crown of beauty for our “ashes” and a joyous blessing instead of despair. Phrases like "beauty for ashes" can be difficult to understand in today’s world without some historical background and/or contextual references.

It's important to understand the significance of ashes in biblical culture. In biblical times it was customary for people to sit in ashes or cover themselves with ashes to express mourning or loss, such as grief over a distressing situation, (2 Samuel 3:19), grief over a national disaster, (Esther 4:1), or grief/guilt from one’s past sins. (Jonah 3:5-7)

Whatever has caused you pain, God’s wants to take your pain and exchange it for healing. Your hopes and dreams may be crushed and even burned up, but He wants to trade you “beauty for your ashes.” Situations in your life that are causing you despair, give them to God and He will lift your burden. He will place a song bursting from your heart and put the boogaloo or funky chicken back in your step.

We are five days into the new year and God wants to trade for our pain, guilt, anguish and down in the dumps right now! He doesn’t want us to go through another day eating sorrow by the spoonful or keeping our feet in the quicksand of our past mistakes. God wants us jumping for joy! (Psalm 9:2-12)

Heavenly Father, thank You for wanting to trade a life of peace and beauty for our ashes of pain, guilt and angst. Lead us to accept Your trade and do so today to make You happy and make ourselves happy. Let us choose Your trade and put the past out to pasture once and forever. Remind us daily, “My Soul’s Got Wings” so we can fly to Your joy!