Tessa was worried sick. She knew she was overweight. An examination had shown that she perhaps had blocked arteries.
The heart specialist prescribed a few pills, and told her to lose weight. No fatty foods. No loads of sugar. Further tests would reveal if more treatment would be required. “What treatment might that be?” enquired Tessa.
“Bypass surgery,” is one option, said the heart specialist.
Tessa went to church. She knelt.
“Dear God,” she prayed, “please make me not require heart surgery. Please! Please! If I don’t require heart surgery I will come to Church every Sunday. I will give the amount of money I wasted on fatty foods and sugar as a donation to the Salvation Army to help poor people. Please! Please! And I promise to lead a good life. Dear God, thank you in advance. I promise, promise, promise.”
On Friday, Tessa went to see the heart specialist. “Good news,” he said. “You won’t require surgery.”
The next Sunday, Tessa got ready for church.
“Oh stuff that,” she said. “Once won’t hurt.”
She went to the ice cream parlour instead – to celebrate.