In September, 1960, I proudly walked into my first grade classroom with a lunch pail just like this one. I even had a thermos bottle inside that resembled a silo where I could bring cold milk from home. I don’t know what happened to my treasure of yesteryear, but when I saw this at the little booth, I knew I wanted to buy it. It brought back memories of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; peanut butter stuffed celery sticks; crispy carrot sticks; and muffins. It also reminds me of what the thermos bottle smelled like on Monday morning when I didn’t clean it out the Friday before!
I knew I wanted to buy it until I looked at the $115.00 price tag. My mom probably spent $1.50 for it back in the day. $115.00? Where would I even put it? I eventually decided a photo on my phone was good enough. They say antiques are expensive. My question is how can something from my youngster-hood be called an antique?
However, I also want to remind myself that the best is yet to come. God has a plan that is way better than a barn lunch pail for the first grade boy. Several weeks ago, I quoted 1 Corinthians 2 in my sermon:
9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Not only does God have a plan for us when we get to heaven. I believe God has plans for us for right now, too. He has plans for us. He will never leave us. He will carry us through our time on this earth always close to His heart.