"I don't want it," she said. Her stuffed toy elephant was worthless to her, ready to be discarded. He had served his purpose, she had had her fun, and now Miriam was willing to toss him away. So into the "Giveaway" bag he went.
Jill's eyes grew wide with horror. Not the Lell-funt! She loved the Lell-funt. "I want him!" she cried. As long as she had been alive, she had known the Lell-funt. She was not willing for him to disappear from her future.
But the rule is nothing comes back from Giveaway for free. It must be redeemed at a cost. What, dear Jill, would you be willing to give in order to purchase Lell-funt back from Giveaway, to which he had been doomed by his former master?
She searched. It wasn't easy. Every toy has some special significance, some attachment. Sheep? No. Not Sheepy. "Sheepy needs me." Blue Baby? "Oh, no. Not Blue Baby." He's too little anyway. Hardly an even trade.
Finally she settled on something of value great enough to purchase back Lell-funt from Doom and Eternal Separation. And joyfully, she went off celebrating their restoration.
But a dark cloud of gloom spread over Miriam's face as she saw Jill's pleasure with the restored Lell-funt. "Can I sleep with him tonight?" she asked. "No," I said. "He is no longer yours. Jill bought him back at a price. She redeemed him from the pit. He is hers. You are no longer his master. You have no claim on him any longer."
And then, you know what broke loose. All of it. Uh huh. "But he was MINE! I want him BACK!"
Firmly, "No. The deal is done. He has been bought with a price. And nothing will separate him now from the love of Jill."
OK, so it's not a perfect example. But it was close enough for some application, and we'll remember this and revisit this example again, I'm sure. In fact, I don't think I'll ever look at Lell-funt again in quite the same way myself. I won't say it's quite like looking in a mirror, but maybe you know what I mean.
****March 21, 2013: There is now a Part II to the story of Lell-Funt. Follow this link to read the next installment:
Glorification
Jill's eyes grew wide with horror. Not the Lell-funt! She loved the Lell-funt. "I want him!" she cried. As long as she had been alive, she had known the Lell-funt. She was not willing for him to disappear from her future.
But the rule is nothing comes back from Giveaway for free. It must be redeemed at a cost. What, dear Jill, would you be willing to give in order to purchase Lell-funt back from Giveaway, to which he had been doomed by his former master?
She searched. It wasn't easy. Every toy has some special significance, some attachment. Sheep? No. Not Sheepy. "Sheepy needs me." Blue Baby? "Oh, no. Not Blue Baby." He's too little anyway. Hardly an even trade.
Finally she settled on something of value great enough to purchase back Lell-funt from Doom and Eternal Separation. And joyfully, she went off celebrating their restoration.
But a dark cloud of gloom spread over Miriam's face as she saw Jill's pleasure with the restored Lell-funt. "Can I sleep with him tonight?" she asked. "No," I said. "He is no longer yours. Jill bought him back at a price. She redeemed him from the pit. He is hers. You are no longer his master. You have no claim on him any longer."
And then, you know what broke loose. All of it. Uh huh. "But he was MINE! I want him BACK!"
Firmly, "No. The deal is done. He has been bought with a price. And nothing will separate him now from the love of Jill."
OK, so it's not a perfect example. But it was close enough for some application, and we'll remember this and revisit this example again, I'm sure. In fact, I don't think I'll ever look at Lell-funt again in quite the same way myself. I won't say it's quite like looking in a mirror, but maybe you know what I mean.
****March 21, 2013: There is now a Part II to the story of Lell-Funt. Follow this link to read the next installment:
Glorification
