BROWNIE CRUMBS

Mrs. Baughman was my 6th grade Sunday School teacher. One morning, she
brought a pan of brownies to our class. As the goodies sat over by her
chair, she gave each child a slip of paper marked with a household expense:
house payment, utility bill, phone bill, entertainment, etc.

My slip had a car payment. Before long, Mrs. Baughman picked up the tray of
brownies and began naming the expenses written on the papers. As we gave her
our expenses, she redeemed each one for a brownie.

"Car payment" she announced. I jumped up to get my brownie from the pan.
Finally the last brownie had disappeared.

But one boy named Donald still held his unredeemed slip. "God!" called Mrs.
Baughman. Donald came forward hoping the teacher had one more brownie
hidden some where.

With a knife Mrs. Baughman scraped the crumbs from the bottom of the pan
into Donald's napkin. He got a pretty raw deal, I thought -just crumbs.

"The brownies represent your money", the teacher explained to us. "If you
don't give God his share right away, He probably won't get anything except
maybe the crumbs."

I never forgot that illustration. The day my friend Donald got only the
brownie crumbs, even as a child I learned that God should have the first
right to everything I have.

In the years since Mrs. Baughman class I have struggled with giving and
priorities, But whenever I recall the "Crummy Sunday School Lesson", I know
who should and must always come first in my life!

-- Author Unknown