Really Free

As Cypress sat down at the kitchen table to eat breakfast, an advertisement on the cereal box caught his attention. "Free gift!" he read. "Turbo power race car! See details on back." Cypress turned the box around so he could see the back. "Mom, look! I can get a turbo power race car for absolutely nothing! A car like that costs at least twenty dollars at the store.""Let me see that package," said Mom. "That offer sounds too good to be true." She studied the information about the car. "Cypress, did you notice what you need to include in the online order form for this car?""No," said Cypress. "What?"Mom pointed to the small print on the box. "You need to upload receipts showing that you purchased four boxes of cereal this month. And you also need to pay a shipping and handling fee so the car can be mailed to you.""What!" Cypress reached for the cereal box and read the words on the back. "After buying the cereal and paying for shipping, you'd probably be spending more than you would if you bought one of those cars at the store. That doesn't sound free to me!" Disappointed, Cypress put the cereal box away."When something is offered for free in cases like this, there's often something to buy first or some other requirement," said Mom.Cypress sighed. "I guess people have it right when they say if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is."Mom sat down at the table next to Cypress. "Well, that generally is the case. But I do know of one offer that also sounds too good to be true, and the gift really is free.""It is?" said Cypress. "What is it? Have you gotten it already?""Yes, I have. It's the gift of salvation--the gift of eternal life," Mom replied with a smile. "It's free to anyone who trusts Jesus as their Savior."Cypress grinned. "I guess I should have thought of that. Since I trust in Jesus, I've already gotten that free gift too!""It's a gift anyone can have," said Mom. "Now, let's thank the Lord for our breakfast and for His free gift of eternal life." – Dawn E. Maloney