Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: DEPOSIT (03/11/21)
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TITLE: The Inheritance | Previous Challenge Entry
By John Custer
03/17/21 -
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To supplement his income, he delivered telephone books, collected and sold old newspapers, raised rabbits, and mom sold Christmas Cards. (Remember those days?)
One day dad’s aunt died and left him two-thousand dollars! That was a lot of money in 1947.
The first thing he did was order a brand new green 1947 Ford Deluxe for $1,500. That’s right: the out-the-door total was $1,500. However, the dealer did not have a green one in stock.
The Ford Company had been making airplanes for World War II which ended in 1945. Car production was getting geared up again, which was quite frustrating for a man whose money was burning a hole in his pocket. Every day he and I would walk to the garage and see if the green Ford had arrived. We peeked through the windows, then walked the circumference of the lot.
After a reasonable amount of time he returned to the salesman and said he would take whatever color they had. Our family then owned a brand new Ford Deluxe - white.
When he drove it to church he showed it to a builder who posed an interesting question to my dad. “Why did you buy a car for $1,500 when I could have built you a brand new house with that amount as a deposit?” Dad didn’t have a good answer. (I can imagine kids today doing the same thing.)
“How much do you have left of the inheritance?” asked the builder.
“Five hundred dollars.” Well,” said the builder, “We’ll make the $500 the deposit.”
The lot was selected, the basement was dug, the foundation was in and eventually the entire house was done and it was time for settlement.
Dad went to the bank with the builder. When the banker stated the amount needed for the closing, it was more than Dad’s $500 deposit.
The builder said, “After you deduct his $500, you can put the rest on my account and he can work off the balance by doing various part-time jobs for me.”
That was generous of the builder and dad was very grateful.
Dad’s main job was working 2nd shift for the railroad. His mornings, however, were occupied with painting and doing odd jobs on the houses that the builder was constructing. He became a good painter, and I enjoyed talking to him while he painted. He was paid by the hour and eventually he paid off the loan to the builder.
As a businessman, I don’t know why dad took $1,500 of the $2,000 to buy a car rather than to put a deposit a house, but I certainly appreciate the Christian builder that helped Dad spend the remaining $500 wisely.
Knowing how hard it was to make ends meet, if dad had not bought a house with the builder’s help on the deposit, he may never have gotten his own house. That deposit changed the whole trajectory of his financial future.
We should always be on the lookout for those God allows to cross our path that need our help. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Mt. 25:40 NIV
non-fiction
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