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The reason for the trip

Rick Cogbill

My three children have this in common with kids everywhere: They think the world revolves around them. (They’re right, of course, but we don’t let on.)

Earlier this year, I left my home in southern British Columbia to attend a writers’ conference near Toronto. “But I don’t want you to go,” said my three-year-old son Steven, his lower lip quivering. “I’ll miss you.”

I was touched. “Tell you what,” I offered. “I’ll bring you a special present when I come back.”

“Okay, Dad,” he agreed brightly. “Have a good time!”

For Stevie, that gift became the sole purpose of my trip. When I phoned home the first night, my wife Nan informed me that he was telling everybody, “My daddy went to Toronto to buy me a special present!”

I chuckled. “I guess I’d better not forget to go shopping, eh?”

“Don’t even think about it,” she replied.

The next morning, I stopped by the local mall to check out the Hot Wheels section of the toy department. Half an hour later, I realized that my shopping cart full of cars, trucks and racing track wouldn’t fit in my carry-on bag, so I settled for a blue-and-white tractor-trailer. I figured Steven would like it, because I knew I did.

Pulling out my credit card at the checkout counter, I noticed a smug look on the salesclerk’s face.

“The toy truck is for my son,” I explained.

“That’s what they all say,” she replied with a smile.

“Look,” I protested, “you may think this is another case of a father reliving his childhood through his son, but it’s not like that at all. This truck really is for my son!”

She winked as she put my purchases in a bag. “And I suppose the other items are for your wife?”

I turned slightly red, but said nothing. Some things you just don’t discuss in public with strangers.

Three days later, I was glad to see my family waiting for me at the airport. Nan gave me a long hug. “It’s good to have you back home!”

“Did you enjoy the conference?” queried my daughters Sarah and Laura.

Stevie came right to the point: “Did you bring me my special present, Dad?”

Reflecting on these events, I’m reminded that a couple of millennia back, God the Son also made a trip. Leaving Heaven, He came to conduct some important business in a less than perfect destination, Earth.

Starting out in Bethlehem, He scoured the city streets until finally He reached Calvary. Unlike me, He wasn’t out for the sights. He didn’t come for a seminar on writing best-sellers. He wasn’t even there to look up old friends. He was there to make a special purchase, to be given to those who would later receive it with the joy and excitement of a little child.

On the outskirts of the city, at a crowded hilltop market, He found what He was looking for. In front of a jostling, jeering crowd, amidst gamblers and broken-hearted saints, He bought the world’s most precious gift, using a personal cheque signed with His own blood.

Only then did He allow himself to think about going home, closing the transaction with the words, “It is finished.”

As I put my son to bed that night, I said, “I’m sure glad to be home with you.”

He looked up at me and replied, “I’m sure glad to be alive.” I chuckled at his logic and kissed him goodnight.

But Steven had more to say. “Thanks for my special present, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome, Stevie.”

“I really like my new toy truck you brought me from Toronto.”

“I’m glad you do, Stevie.”

“Dad, when are you going to Toronto again?”

Someday I may make that trip again. But Jesus won’t. Once was enough.

Some say that, in God’s eyes, the world revolves around His children. I’m inclined to agree.

To my Heavenly Father, I breathed a quiet prayer: “I, too, am glad to be alive. Thanks for the special present, Daddy.”

“Are you coming to bed, dear?” my wife called from the bedroom, interrupting my reverie.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” I dug into my flight bag and pulled out a pair of radio-controlled Corvettes. “I’ve got a present for you.”

Rick Cogbill lives in Summerland, B.C. and attends Penticton Alliance Church. This article was originally published in the October/November 1999 issue of The Evangelical Baptist.

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Last modified May 4, 2000.

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