Tom Tate4/2/2016
"Read the Small Print"
Our grandsons Nikita and Lukas stayed with us one weekend. Nikita had a project for school on Monday for President's Day. He was to dress up as Andrew Jackson. His mother, Lena and I were brainstorming ideas. I came up with one where we would copy $20 bills, cut them out, and pin them all over him. We would certainly be an original.
Putting the bills on the printer, I pushed copy, only to have about ¼ inch of the bills printed and then "cancel" come across the screen. I did this several times with the same thing happening. I asked my husband, John, if he was having any issues with the printer when he used it earlier that morning. He was not. I then scanned the bills, saved them in a file, opened the file and pressed "print." The same thing happened. I found pictures of the twenty dollar bills online, copied, cropped, selected print to which the same thing happened. John jokingly made the comment, "Maybe it's illegal to copy money." I then noticed the small print under what little had been copied and actually read it this time. It said "www.rulesusa.org."
I saw it earlier, but just thought the writing was from something else since I was using scrap paper. It was then we realized coping money was against the law. The look in each other's eyes, which was not one of gazing across a crowded room, said we were both envisioned the same thing. Soon all branches of government would be pulling up to our house, SWAT team in place, someone yelling with a bullhorn "Come out with your hands up," while news helicopters circled our house. We did the only thing we could do, "Boys, get your coats! We're leaving now to meet your mom!"
I was amazed that the printer knew I was trying to copy money. How did it know? It's not like there is a special team inside of it running around yelling "We're in place, waiting for your order to shoot." Then I got to thinking... wouldn't it be great to have any hurtful words, actions, or thoughts canceled before we said or did them? If only we could see www.don'topenyourbigmouth.org or www.don'teventhinkaboutit.org or www.thesewordsaregonnahurt.org or www.youwon'tbeabletotakeitback.org or www.stopdwellingonthat.org www.you'renotgoingtopostTHATonfacebook.org.
But you know, the printer is like God. He does know our words, actions, and thoughts before we push the copy button. He tries to stop us, even if we insist on pushing the button more than once or try to do it in different ways. He does have a "special team" running around inside of us yelling, "We're in place, waiting for your order to enter the heart."
God knows, cares, and loves us before we are born. He is there for us even when we aren't there for Him. He never gives up on us. We are the ones that make a relationship with Him hard when we push buttons that shouldn't be pushed. How much simpler our lives would be if we realize our joy, our happiness, our peace comes when we strive to copy God and copying Him is not against the law.
I encourage you to read Psalm 139 Psalm 139:1-24
©Melinda Sutherland 4/1/16
