I have often used the Ben Franklin phrase, “Don’t pay too much for your whistle.”
As the holiday season concludes, let us keep those wise words of advice in mind. Sometimes, and before we know it, we pay far too much for our “whistles.” And not just during this time of year.
May we invest time into those values which are eternal, our spiritual lives, by reading His Word, studying and praying more. Collecting more things and going into debt will only leave us frustrated, aggravated and empty, vowing never again.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)
“And He said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15)
“Thomas Fleming, in The Man Who Dared the Lightning, tells “when Benjamin Franklin was seven years old, a visitor gave him some small change. Later seeing another boy playing with a whistle, young Ben had to have that whistle and gave the boy all his money for it. Ben played the whistle all over the house, enjoying it until he discovered that he had given four times as much as the whistle was worth. Instantly, the whistle lost its charm.”
As he grew older, Franklin generalized this principle. When he saw a man neglecting his family or business for political popularity, or another giving up a friendship for the sake of accumulating wealth, Franklin would say, “He pays too much for his whistle.”
Interesting how we, too, often pay too great a price for something that looks and sounds so good and promises so much. “Don’t be fooled, the world offers you whistles that are not worth the price.” ~ Anonymous
Don’t neglect your family for the things of this world. Keep God in the center of all you do and give thanks for all He has done for you every day of the year.
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)
“It is through gratitude of the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens.” ~ Tolle
“The richest human isn’t the one who has the most, but the one who needs less. Wealth is a mindset – Want less and appreciate more today.” ~ Unknown
Eileen Light