True Treasure

The boxes are unpacked but I’m still arranging and rearranging, switching and exchanging, redoing and replacing odds and ends…always looking for a perfect fit. This new home has everything we ever dreamed of…stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, nine-foot ceilings, screened porch, and an open floor plan.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, even the bricks and sticks we call home.  I’m almost giddy from the excitement.  Everything new and clean; nothing needing updating or repair.  I call it heaven on earth!

It’s funny watching the two of us trying to maintain its newness.  Not wanting anything to get nicked or damaged, we stand guard over it like it’s our baby.  And when we notice a chip or a smudge, we’re quick to correct so it will be like new again.  But the reality is it won’t stay like this forever.  Because we live in a fallen world, weeds might take over.  The foundation will settle.  The walls might even crack.  We will eventually have to repaint.  No matter how hard we try, things will eventually get old and fall apart.  While it’s our responsibility to take care of what God’s given us, we are warned not to treasure these temporary things.

There’s a verse in Matthew 6:20 that reminds us to;

Stockpile treasure in heaven where its safe

from moth and rust and burglars

The fact is our new home is not safe from all these things (although we do our best to keep them out).  No matter how much we love and appreciate it, our home will not last forever.   It can’t take the place of true treasure.  We can’t take it with us when we die. This passage goes on to say that whatever’s in our heart is where our treasures lie.  What are the treasures in your heart?  Are possessions overriding the eternal?   Is your time spent gathering stuff that deteriorates rather than stockpiling treasures that last?

Our children are treasures.  Their hugs are the most precious jewels we’ll ever wear around our neck. Emotionally, they can be compared to our heart walking around outside our bodies.  How I identify with that kind of passion as a mom! There’s nothing that gets me more than my kids.  They are valuable to be.  What they feel, I feel more.  When they hurt, I’m almost paralyzed.  When they’re joyous, I’m on the verge of giddy. Their well-being affects me greatly!  But it’s easy to take them for granted when they’re little and life gets busy.  With school work, rehearsals, recitals, sports and important household responsibilities vying for our time, we can take these true treasures for granted, forgetting to delight in who they are, who God created them to be.

My advice to moms is take time to value your treasure.  Rather than talking to your child on the fly, take a moment to really look at them when they speak. Stop and drink them in.  Bend down and gaze into your little one’s eyes.  Notice the length of his lashes and the shape of his face. Look deeply into her soul and observe her uniqueness.  Take time to just “be” with them. Overcome the busyness by becoming a student of your child.  Learn her likes and dislikes.  Understand his strengths and weaknesses. Reflect on the fact your child is an eternal soul loaned to you for a time. Valuable, worth appreciating. True treasure that will last forever…and those hugs the most precious jewels you’ll ever wear around your neck.