Was there something in your childhood that you were not too fond of other than getting shots at the Doctor’s office? For me, it was going shopping with my parents.

My mom was and still is a shopper. She has always liked to look at and touch everything because the thought of missing something bothers her This is especially true for items on the clearance racks. But when I was a small child, I didn’t understand this. I vividly remember my dad carrying me while my mom shopped. I whined and constantly cried: “I wanna go home!” To me, it felt like we were never going to leave the store. She would reply: “I’m almost done.” Then she would find something else to pick up and examine.

My daughter Sara is another story. She never whined about wanting to go home. On one of her first shopping trips, she showed us just how much she liked to touch things. It happened when she was around two years old. We went with Mom to the mall one morning.

Our first stop was in a kiddie section of store. There Sara found a little purple pocketbook that she wanted. It was very expensive, so I put it back. I wasn’t working at the time. Mom and I bought her other things instead. After we checked out, we walked down the mall. At our next stop, we noticed the purple the purple pocketbook draped on the back of the stroller.

For a second, we were speechless. Somehow, Sara had gotten the pocketbook and draped it over the back of the stroller without any of us seeing her do it. That includes the sales clerks. On top of that, the security alarms at the stores didn’t go off either as we walked out. Mom asked what were we going to do. I said there was only one thing to do: take it back to the store. I did and they were very nice about it. Then I explained to Sara how we couldn’t just take things. That was stealing. Instead, we had to pay for them. From that point on, if she saw something she wanted, she would ask: “Can we pay for it?” Now that I think about it, it’s kinda humorous. Where I cried: “I wanna go home,” Sara called out: “Let’s pay for it!”

“For ye are brought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV)

Sara was thinking of buying goodies when she asked for us to pay for them. But Jesus was thinking of us when He paid the ultimate price for our freedom from sin. So, we should act in a way that not only glorifies Him, but also demonstrates this to others as well.

Do I to like to shop now? If I’m in a candy store, oh yeah. I also like Christmas stores or Christmas sections in stores. Tim has to literally drag me away. He’s probably afraid at all of the stuff I want to pay for in either place.

Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.