The 'Husband Store' is a 7-story building. At the Grand Opening the lines are so long, another businessman immediately decides to finance and begin construction on a store just across the street. And yes, you guessed it ...it will be called the 'Wife Store'.
The approach is not that different from many of the amusement parks you are probably familiar with. There are several ticket booths in front of the building, and a posted sign indicating that you need $100 to enter the first floor. That is approximately the price of admission for Disney World, so hopefully this would be a bit fun and not disappointing. Hopefully, the men won't be Mickey Mouse, talk like Donald Duck, or be just plain Goofy.
Connie had read the description of the store advertised on Facebook, so she feels she is a bit prepared. She pays the $100 at the ticket booth, and they print a 'one-time only' 7 tickets with her name on them ...and she heads for the front door, where she immediately has to give up her first ticket. She had read about the terms, but a man at the door announces the store's terms, so no one will say they didn't know what they were getting into. There are no elevators, only stairs, and if you want to go to the next floor, the cost doubles each time ...and you have to give up that ticket, as you cannot revisit a previous floor.
Connie steps inside the huge corridor leading to a huge banquet hall. She is hungry from standing in line so long, so she is thankful when a gentleman announces that there is a long table with appetizers for everyone, but the main menu is that this floor has men who all love children.
Connie immediately grabs some appetizers, but doesn't look around much. The immense hall is filled with smiling men, but Connie feels there is more to life than just being barefoot and pregnant ...so, she wastes no time going to the stairway.
She knew the price would be doubled, so she pays the gentleman at the bottom of the stairs $200. She wipes a tear away, and she feels the man senses she is having difficulty parting with her money, as he whispers to her in a comforting tone that the men on the next floor love children just like the ones on this first floor, but they also love to help with household chores.
As Connie climbs the stairs, she somehow feels she had made a mistake. All the men so far love children, which is absolutely a good thing, but if they love having kids, they had better help with the household chores. So far, she has just spent $300 total, and it doesn't seem like much progress, yet it has to get better. It would be too much of a chore for her to waste time on this floor, so she heads to the stairway again ...nowhere to go but up, at this point.
Connie half expects the man at the stairs to whisper to her what to expect on the next floor, but he just collects her money and smiles. With $400 more, the total is now $700. Connie feels she should have gone to Disney World. The man running this store must be like Scrooge ...but, then she remembers reading that the owner is a woman. Her mood changes as the man at the top of the stairs takes her third ticket and opens the door for her, stating, "All the men on this floor love children, love helping with the household chores, and are extremely rich."
Connie hurries inside and doesn't look at the appetizers this time. This is a definite improvement, and she no longer feels she has to worry about how much money this is costing, as her husband-to-be will be able to cover any expenses. But, as she looks around, many of the men seem to be lacking in personality ...and though she knows that is an unfair rash judgment, she just feels a bit uncomfortable about this floor. Perhaps the men here think they can all just buy a wife with all their money. Connie knows that is a bit unfair, as she is actually here to buy a husband, but all these men here probably feel money can buy happiness ...and maybe it will be happiness for them, but it won't be for her. Connie heads to the stairway.
Each floor had so far added one trait to all the traits of the previous floor, so Connie feels confident she is making the right choice ...she is mastering this thing. The next floor will have men who love children, love doing household chores, are extremely rich ...and what's left?? They will probably be all good-looking on the next floor, or have great personalities. She pays the $800, which now totals $1500 ...but, with a rich husband, the sky is the limit, or the 7th floor is.
Connie gives up her 4th ticket at the top of the stairs, and as she had suspected the man announces, "The men on this floor love children, love doing household chores, are extremely rich, and are all good-looking."
Connie skips down the corridor. Yes, she is mastering this ...she had guessed this exactly right. Now, with a good-looking husband, they will have good-looking kids too. Connie is eager to find the right personality to match hers ...so, she skips to the stairway. She hands the gentleman her credit card. Her husband can pay off the debt.
Connie hands over her 5th ticket, and the man announces, "All the men on this floor love children, they love to help with household chores, they are extremely rich, they are all good-looking, and they all believe in God."
Connie had forgotten about that one. She believes in God too, and yes, their children will go to church with them. But, what kind of a church do these men go to ...do they believe in the Bible, is that who they feel God is?? These men will have to be a Christian like she is. Well, she knows what she must do. She had hurried through the other floors, and hadn't even talked to anyone ...she'll just have to ask them about their belief in God, and that will be easy enough. But, talking to them may be awkward if they have a strange personality ...some Christians are just a bit strange.
Suddenly, Connie remembers something ...and with her women's intuition she must be right. The next floor has to be men with all good personalities. Connie will have plenty of men to talk to on the next floor ...so, she hurries to the stairway, gives the gentleman her credit card, bounds up the stairway, and gives the man at the top of the stairs her 6th ticket. And sure enough, the man announces, "The men on this floor all love children, all love to help with the household chores, are extremely rich, are all good-looking, they all believe in God, and they all have great personalities."
Connie is so excited. She talks to several men here ...it is so easy to make conversation with all of them. She feels so relaxed ...these are her kind of people. And every man she has talked to so far is a Christian who is not strange, and who genuinely appears to show sincere interest in her ...having similar interests, and common values. She can't imagine anyone could be nicer and more caring than the men on this floor. But, as she walks around talking to the various men, she can't help wonder what surprise trait she had not thought about that the men on the 7th floor would have. She is a bit ashamed that she had not even thought of a belief in God as a necessary qualifying trait ...but, what else had she not considered??
Connie grabs a couple appetizers, and then heads to the stairway. She scans her credit card, and walks up the stairs. A man at the top of the stairs takes her ticket, opens the door for her, then closes it behind her. He announces, "There are no men on this floor. This floor exists for one solitary purpose ...to prove that most women are never satisfied."
The 'Wife Store' is quickly up and running, and the lines seem even longer than they were for the Grand Opening of the 'Husband Store'.
After two weeks, the owners of both stores agree to meet for lunch. Not surprisingly, they talk about their finances. But the owner of the 'Husband Store' is surprised that on Opening Day, she had made over 40 times more money than the gentleman who owns the 'Wife Store'.
She asks him, "Why is it that you made so much less money? Did you charge $100 admission, and double it for every additional floor like I did?"
He nods, "Yes, I did that part just like you did ...but, I'm not going to tell you what traits were presented for the women on each floor. Yet, I will tell you that men have a one-track mind ...and no man made it past the 2nd floor."
(Now, in case you don't know Joyce Meyer, she is a very popular Christian speaker ...and the part of the story I know I got right was that she said that women are never satisfied (the joke her story was leading up to). So, it was a woman joking about a woman ...I didn't make the comment. I personally know that all women are not of one kind. I know many women who are satisfied, and many satisfying women ...okay, I don't think that came out right. I have a high moral value, I've been married once, and we have 5 children ...and yes, I love children, I help with the household chores, I believe in the Bible and I thank God that He loves His children too (and He helps me with household chores, giving me ideas to more efficiently do them) ...but, though I do not have much money, God richly blesses me.)
God bless you all ...each & every one of you!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment