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The bounty of my kids’ gem mining treasure is laid before me with all of its glistening and touristy charm. It’s a shared joy for my 9 and 11 year old to go gem mining each year during our summer camping trip. We pay top dollar for a bucket of dirt and cross our fingers that there’s going to be dazzling gems as the dust is sifted off in the water. Once we’re home the treasures are rinsed clean and set out to dry in the sun. Today I stand over the gems and see their beauty as the kids hold each one up with delight. I watch and begin to wonder about my own treasures, the things that I value that perhaps I need to hold up to the light and examine more critically to determine their real worth.
Like fools gold I can be tricked into thinking something is worth preserving and esteeming when really its value is only surface deep.
Do I treasure being right over learning from mistakes?
Do I treasure my own voice over listening to others?
Do I treasure my own comfort over doing what’s right?
Do I treasure my savings account over giving?
Do I treasure the praise of others more than encouraging others?
Do I treasure my independence over depending on God?
Ultimately, do I treasure my own way over the way of Jesus?
It’s not easy to ask these questions of ourselves because what our answers reveal aren’t always what we hope is true about ourselves. We’re sold a lot of ideas that are masked as treasure when in the end they’re more like a bucket of dirt full of promise but ultimately empty. Jesus says the way of his kingdom is different. Sacrifice, love, faith, empathy, forgiveness are of value but they’re not the flashy treasure we most often want.
Evaluating what we treasure with openness and honesty can be a spiritual practice of sifting and sorting our motives and values and bringing them into the light of Christ.
A Practice
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
Meditate on this verse asking God to draw to the light the misplaced treasures you may have and then seek what things should have your heart.
Thank you for reading! What treasure are you reevaluating in your life? For me it’s been how much I’m listening to the voices of others over praying and making space for quiet. You can hit reply or share your own with a comment.