letters

A company held a large renewable government contract. Each quarter the agency sent a new purchase order to buy against with a not-to-exceed limit of $999,999. So if the agency didn’t purchase more than a million dollars during that three month period, the company’s invoices were paid under the contract terms.

At one new quarter, the expected purchase order arrived, and the first invoice for $2500 was paid timely. Then successive invoices went past due. It took several weeks to uncover the reason: A purchasing agent had changed the unit of measure on the purchase order from “lot” to “job.”

That substitution of one short word for another meant that the government would pay just one invoice instead of multiple ones.

Last Tuesday’s blog (read it at https://liftedup.us/name-that-tune/) commented on the substitution of the word I’d for the originally written word I’ll. The contraction I’d means I would or I had. It carries with it a context of condition, such as:

  • I’d love to help you move, but I’m having my teeth cleaned that day.
  • I’d be happy if only (and you can fill in the blank here).

Substituting I’d for I’ll in that hymn makes our faith seem conditional. Why yes, I’d like to do that….but let me get back to you. In Gospel lessons from Matthew and Luke, Jesus notes some flimsy excuses that people offered up in order to avoid an immediate “I will!” response.

  • I just purchased a new piece of land, and I need to check it out.
  • I bought some new oxen that must be tested.
  • I’m a newlywed.
  • I have an elderly parent to care for before I can make that commitment.

We can laugh at those excuses (although I’m not sure Jesus found them particularly amusing), but we offer up similar statements ourselves. You know, in these posts I have to be careful not to come across as sanctimonious, as in: “I am perfect, as we all know, and so I’m not using myself as an example here, but you, my readers, may very well see yourselves in the story.”

The opposite is actually what usually happens. Often when I’m writing on a topic, I’ll see myself so plainly! I swear, the very day I started writing this, I heard myself saying to my husband, “I’d like to help her with that, but I just don’t have the time.” It was one of those slap-your-own-forehead moments for me.

As Dr. Julie White said once, “I teach this stuff….when am I going to learn it?!”

But that’s one of the beautiful points of life:  Each day brings us opportunities to learn to be better people.

To my readers: What opportunity have you been presented with so far this week?