Performed on November 23, 2008 at Victoria Avenue Baptist Church.
Inspired by Matthew 7:7-12
- Joey:
- Hey Martha! Looks like it’s finally winter out! Have you been playing in the snow?
- Martha:
- Two days! Just two more days!
- Joey:
- Of… snow? That doesn’t seem right…
- Martha:
- Two more days ‘til I get to pick my PUPPY!!
- Joey:
- OH! You’re getting a puppy? I thought you’re mom said you weren’t responsible enough to get one!
- Martha:
- That’s what she said! But I just kept after, asking over and over and over. And proving how wrong she was about my maturity.
- Joey:
- Oh, so you broke her down over time?
- Martha:
- I sure did. She had no idea what she was doing when she said no to me.
- Joey:
- So, how did you break her down?
- Martha:
- Well, I started out small. I kept an eye on the garbage, and made sure that I took it out whenever it got full. And that it was always on the road before the pickup time..
- Joey:
- Really… that’s tricky, what did you do to her next?
- Martha:
- My next plan of attack, the dishes. Every time there was a dirty dish, I washed it, dried it and put it away. As far as she could tell, for some reason no one in our house was using dishes. I think it was kind of a psychological torture.
- Joey:
- Right…. so what was the last straw?
- Martha:
- This one is a doozy. As soon as I got home from school every night, I did all my homework before she even got home from work. Yep, that did her in. I think she was glad when I told her that I thought that I had proved that I was responsible enough to get a puppy. So, the moral of the story is, when you’re mom says no, just keep at it. You’ll eventually break her down.
- Joey:
- I guess that’s one of looking at it….
- Martha:
- What do you mean? That’s how it happened!
- Joey:
- Well - it sounds to me like you are more responsible and mature than when you first asked.
- Martha:
- What?
- Joey:
- Well - after you get your puppy, are you still going to keep up with your chores?
- Martha:
- Of course! We wouldn’t want the puppy to get into the garbage, or try to get the dirty dishes — and if I do my homework fast I’ll have more time to play with the puppy!!
- Joey:
- Congratulations. You are now mature enough to get a puppy. It’s kinda like how in the bible, Jesus said “ask and you will receive” you asked, and you received.
- Martha:
- Well, I didn’t just receive - I had to work really hard!
- Joey:
- Because you weren’t ready. Think about it this way — if you asked your mom for a fish, would she give you a snake?
- Martha:
- No — but I don’t really see how this is relevant…
- Joey:
- If you asked your mom for a puppy, would she throw garbage all over the floor and tell you that you had to clean it up?
- Martha:
- What? No!!
- Joey:
- Well, you just said, if you had a puppy and didn’t take out the trash that the puppy would drag it all out on the floor. So - if she had said yes, that’s what would have happened!
- Martha:
- I see! So, I asked, and my mom gave me what I asked for, after I was ready. If I wasn’t ready, it wouldn’t be a very good gift.
- Joey:
- Right, it’s like how God gives good gifts to his children.
- Martha:
- God? Wait a minute — that’s why it sounds so familiar! You’re saying bible verses!
- Joey:
- Right! When talking about prayer, Jesus says God is like a perfect parent. Ask and you will receive…a parent wouldn’t give a stone to their kid if they wanted bread, and they wouldn’t give them a snake if they wanted a fish, AND they wouldn’t give them GARBAGE on the floor if they wanted a puppy!!
- Martha:
- You’re right Joey — hey - do you want to come with me to pick up my puppy?
- Joey:
- Yes! That sounds like fun! What’s his name going to be?
- Martha:
- DESTROYER!