Mystery, intrigue and surprise twists—the reality TV show Storage Wars has them all.
The show follows owners of pawn shops and second hand stores as they go to storage locations across Los Angeles and bid for abandoned or reclaimed storage sheds.
They are given just five minutes to look inside from the door—they cannot go in and they are not allowed to touch anything. All they get is a look from the front.
Looks can be deceiving
It is interesting to watch the dynamics of the bidders. When a container is opened and it is full they all scramble around and go all in with bidding; but when a unit is practically empty or seems to be of little interest they barely make an offer for it.
This reminds me of the old adage: 'you can't judge a book by its cover'. In one episode one bidder decided to bid on one of the empty sheds and won it for the small fee of $1.50. In comparison a full shed can sometimes go for upwards of $4,000.
The $4000 sheds are nearly always full of junk: broken electronics, torn furniture, boxes full of clothes and knick knacks—full but often a disappointing waste of money.
Sometimes there is more than meets the eye. The shed that went for $1.50 contained 1 plastic chair, 1 box, a fold-away table and a couple of pairs of shoes.
But hidden in the box was an antique from the American Civil War—worth more than $400. The new owner made an instant 320% profit! Meanwhile, at the $4000 shed, the new owner has barely found $2000 worth of goods.
Hidden treasure
When Jesus was on earth he looked like a pretty ordinary guy on the outside: a carpenter from Nazareth. When he began his ministry people everywhere were amazed. Some people thought he was possessed, some people thought he was a great prophet. Some people were amazed at his teaching but were confused by his ordinary appearance.
Jesus may have looked ordinary, just like the almost-empty unit bought for $1.50; but Jesus proved to be so much more than a carpenter. Jesus is God's great rescuer, the saviour of the world.
Like the bargain hunter who made a massive profit, we gain wonderful heavenly riches when we choose Jesus.
Christopher Archibald lives in Sydney and is a Youth Leader at New Life Christian Church in Blacktown. A voracious reader, he ploughs through many books in a calendar year, with a bookcase that is constantly being rearranged to accommodate new additions.
Christopher Archibald's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/christopher-archibald.html