Buyer's Remorse

“That is not what I wanted”, I grumbled in buyer’s remorse, as I opened the new cassette tape duplicator after getting home from a thirty mile round trip each way! It was crushed on one side!
I was not happy! It was the third trip I had made in a week, to buy one! The first one was reasonable in price, but inferior in quality, so I returned it.

We lived in the country. The nearest store was a fifteen minute trip. Others were significantly more.

I had found joy in duplicating tapes of our church services to share with those who were unable to come. God had blessed it before, and there were those who were happy to help underwrite this ministry. However, the task was getting larger, and I wanted to do it faster.

I wrapped up the flawed equipment, (on a Saturday evening), and drove the thirty miles again, praying that I would get there in time, and also searching out my motives. I finally arrived five minutes before closing time. They exchanged it without a problem.

“Why did you put me through all of this for a silly tape duplicator”, I grumbled to the Lord, acting no better than Jonah did after Ninevah had repented! Read Jonah 4:1-4.

A deep consciousness of God’s Word was clear, “I wanted you to get one that would last the longest, and do the best job for my ministry through you.”

I had seen the need so clearly that I had forgotten that there was much more at stake than I realized. There was the design; the manufacturing process; the shipping, and the marketing! In fact, with so many factors, it was amazing that I did as well as I did.

A little embarrassed, I realized that I had forgotten that this was not merely “my” ministry – it was God’s! Had I not been praying? Had I not been using tapes as a ministry and encouragement to those in need? Did not all of this prove it was His ministry? Why wouldn’t he want others to do it right, too? Maybe they didn’t know they were serving the Lord? Maybe if they realized that, they would do a better job?

Could this not apply to any activity of our lives that we are trying to do for the Lord? 1 Corinthians 3:9.

The flaws I had encountered proved that Someone else owned what I was doing, and wanted to make sure it was worthy of His Support.

I remembered that what I do for others, I really do for the Lord. If there are troubles along the way, maybe He is helping others do His job the way it should be done as well.