The End of the Roadhouse

Sunday mornings, for many years, meant going out to breakfast with my children.  I would wake them up at dawn, and within minutes we were on our way, on foot, to one of the local coffee shops or bakeries for our weekly treat.  The kids got a free meal out of me, I got to spend quality time with them, and my wife got to sleep in by herself - it was a good deal for everyone involved.  I suggested one morning that we walk to Roadhouse Coffee Stop, a local breakfast institution in town for many years.  It served excellent, fresh coffee, and the pastries, when dining in, were served piping hot with extra butter.  The owner, who was getting on a bit in his years, was well known to the locals, and his employees were uniformly friendly and personable.  The food was a bit more costly than the competition, so I only visited the shop on special occasions.

The special occasion in this instance was that I had a coupon for a free cup of coffee.  I received the coupon several months previously from Rachel, an attractive young lady with heavily tattooed arms that glistened with color when she poured the coffee.  Not recalling ever seeing me before, she offered me the coupon, with my name and her name written on it, to encourage my patronage.

"Come anytime.  My treat.  There's no expiration date."

It seemed like a good deal.  I saved the coupon, knowing that I'd cash in some day when the coffee bug would bite me.  This was going to be my lucky day, as I pulled out the coupon just across the street from the shop.

We eagerly approached, only to see that Roadhouse Coffee Stop closed...permanently.  The owner decided to retire, and closed the business a few days beforehand.  Disappointed, I stuck my now worthless coupon in my pocket as a souvenir, as we joined some of the old Roadhouse regulars at the local Starbucks.

We tend to hoard things that seem to be of much value in this life.  These may be cash, retirement funds, the newest electronic gadgets, cars, expensive food, entertainment, and even reputation.  We treat them as our keys to happiness, and spend much time not only acquiring them, but also worrying about them and protecting them, not thinking that they will be of no value when we reach the end of our lives.  Knowing our hearts, Jesus reminded us to reset our priorities,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

May we focus our energies on loving and enjoying God.  The value of this will never expire.