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 We
were sitting in a restaurant in eastern Arizona, watching
cowboys and Indians pace the streets. Someone noticed a
particular Indian couple, (a weathered patriarch who walked
three or four steps ahead of his squaw) and remarked that the
Indian man did not put up with this modern “equality of sexes”
foolishness.
Just
then the “Chief” stopped at the restaurant door, and when
his woman caught up, they apparently had a brief argument. We
couldn’t understand the language. but we could see the weaker
sex said “no!” My curiosity was aroused and sharpened as I
saw this performance repeated several times. They would walk
around the block. Chief and squaw style; then our hero would
stop at the restaurant door and talk it over with mama.
Finally,
the Indian woman lifted her voluminous velvet skirts, reached
deep into her boot top, and came up with a small purse. She
extracted a coin, handed it to her husband, and he came in for a
cup of coffee.
When
it takes three trips around the block to get a cup of coffee,
the Red man is not in complete control. I could not help but
wonder if he was slowly losing his status, or if he had always
been like the rest of us —
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but had a better press agent.
The
poet who wrote “Who steals my purse —” neglected to
mention another way to lose both purse and “good name”. We
can let another control our purse — use our
money and influence for something not in keeping with the will
of God — and we have shown lack of conviction, and lack of
individual “will” necessary to be a faithful follower of
Christ.
We
live in a money world. This is the medium of exchange by which
we do or fail to do much of that which God has given us the
ability to perform. I fully agree that one can not “buy” his
way to heaven. We must encourage each Christian to individual,
personal service. But the individual’s responsibility to use
his money talents (Matt. 25: 14—30) must not be
ignored.
The
man who knows church funds should not be spent on “fun and
frolic” or to support human institutions, but gives —
saying, “It is out of my hands, it is the elders
responsibility!” — is kidding himself. Big Chief walk in
front — REAL CHIEF controls those very important purse
strings.
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