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“Baby Shoes”
Categories: Author: David Carrozza, Elder Articles
There is a story…so the story goes, that once Ernest Hemingway was challenged with a $10 bet to tell a story in only six words. Hemingway took a sip on whatever he was drinking, looked briefly off into space and said, “FOR SALE, BABY SHOES, NEVER USED.”
The famous science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke in a 1991 letter to a friend related this six-word story and said, “I still can’t think of it without crying…FOR SALE, BABY SHOES, NEVER USED.”
Here is another, much older six-word story, “FOR GOD…SO LOVED…THE WORLD. You almost certainly can finish the verse…”That he gave His only…begotten Son.” This story isn’t sad from our point of view. In fact, all over the world for the past 2,000 years it has been proclaimed to humanity as “Good News”…the gospel.
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1
The sad part of this story is how few people listen, respond or love Him in return.
This is an ADOPTION STORY. Every adoption story has an element of sadness and love.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.+ Ephesians 1:3-6
Another one of the apostles, Peter, tells us, “ 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises,” 1 Peter 1:3-4
The sadness in this six-word story is how so many reject the Fathers love and many of those who take His name, deny Him in their walk, in their lack of trust in the Father’s promises and provisions and in their disobedience to the Father’s commands.
Some call it “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” I still can’t think of it deeply without crying.
