I Wanted A Car, Not A Bible

"I Wanted A Car, Not A Bible" is a mini-story that is part of the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series.

The Story
One night at Tapper's Tavern, Narrator shared a story with Empath, Smurfette, Tapper, and Duncan McSmurf that he heard from somewhere, but didn't know who he could share it with.

"There was a young man was getting ready to graduate from college," Narrator began. "For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealers showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car."

"I'm sorry that I don't know what a sports car or a college is, laddie," Duncan said.

"I'm at a loss for knowing what those things are myself," Tapper said.

"From what this smurf could sense, college is a place of education that human adults attend to make themselves ready for the world they will enter into for, while a car is a form of horseless carriage that is powered by a motor," Empath explained.

"Okay, so what happened?" Smurfette asked.

"Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study, told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him.He handed him a beautifully wrapped gift box," Narrator continued. "Curious, but some what disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with his name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, 'With all your money you give me a Bible?' He stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible behind."

"Well, he seemed to be a very ungrateful laddie," Duncan said.

"My feelings exactly," Tapper said. "How can be spurn a gift of knowing the holy words of the Almighty?"

"This smurf could feel some empathy for him wanting something his heart always desired and then not getting what he wanted," Empath said.

"But that's not the end of the story now, is it?" Smurfette asked.

"Indeed not," Narrator replied. "Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old. He thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. But before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to him. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important documents and saw the Bible, new, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11 ,'And if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven give to those who ask Him?' As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealers name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words...PAID IN FULL."

"Well, the father gave the laddie the car he wanted after all," Duncan said, sounding astonished.

"It's just too bad that the son was too busy too ashamed of such a present to even bother checking for himself," Tapper said.

"There's got to be a moral behind this story, isn't there?" Smurfette asked.

"There is, Smurfette, but I'm hoping that you, my friends, would be keen enough to discover what that moral is," Narrator replied.

"I seem to understand what it is," Tapper said. "You should never underestimate the gifts that the Almighty gives you, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, because you never know what kind of blessings you may get with that gift."

"Oh, really?" Duncan said with a mischievous look on his face. "How about this moral, laddie...'don't bury your gifts to others behind religion'?"

"Oh, Duncan, how can you think of such a thing?" Smurfette said, sounding displeased.