In my day school began AFTER Labor Day. First day meant new classmates, new teacher, and new school supplies. The real prize was if your parents bought you the fancy 48-count Crayola Crayons with a metallic gold crayon. Woo-hoo! It was nice looking at the pointy crayons in their assorted colors standing up in the box. 

As the year went on, crayons wore down, their paper wrappings were torn off, some broke, others just vanished. By year’s end it was a sad collection. On the last day most kids threw everything away including their crayons. Not me. I brought them home and kept them in a cookie tin. Worn and broken crayons still work fine.

Those crayons remind me of life. At one time we’re new and pretty sharp, but we wear down and get broken and some of us have parts missing. You get to wondering if you’re good for anything. But you discover that, like worn crayons, you’re still of use. God can use you.

I won’t ever put a roof on a church again, but I can still pray. For me prayer is like the gold crayon in the box. Even a little nub of it adds splash to life’s picture. The other day, for example, I prayed for the hungry, the lonely, the sick, those who are nearing death, and those who have already died.

Praying like that reminds me that one day I will be raised from the dead. I’ll be like a new box of crayons, only this time, they’ll all be gold.

Read Romans 6:5 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne