Recently I’ve been thinking about what I treasure. You know, what is really important to me. If you asked me on the street, I would say something like “God, my family and my friends.” But then I started thinking what if you didn’t ask me? What if you just followed me around and watched? What would you think I treasured? I came up with some scary, worthless and pathetic treasures.
You see, the first thing you would notice about my time is that I love to shop. I don’t really know why they say “diamonds are a girl’s best friend;” I think stores are. (I also think they are our parents/husbands/boyfriends worst enemy.) I am ashamed to admit this, but if you were to dig through my treasure box you would discover that I can be materialistic. I hate to admit that, but it’s pathetically true. You would find that I treasure shopping, decorating, throwing parties, owning cute things etc… You would find that I love online browsing, Pottery Barn catalogues that come directly to my door (thanks to the wonderful U.S. Postal Service), endless hours of window shopping and the occasional purchase of items that have caused my eyeballs to glaze over in worship. If you came back a few days later to see if I still enjoyed my newly purchased treasures, you would most likely find that the glitter has faded. So, what’s the problem? Did the item break or simply not coordinate well with the rest of my house/wardrobe/whatever?
The problem is that though none of these things are bad, in fact I love them, they should not be what I treasure. I should treasure the God who created me. I should worship Him the creator, not the beautiful things He has created. A scripture that I find most convicting in my life and also need great meditation over is Matthew 6:21 “where your treasure is, there will your heart be.” In this passage, Jesus is sharing that we should store up our treasures in heaven and not on Earthly things that moths, rust and thieves can destroy. As I dig through my treasure box, I find these words ring loudly true. You see, the items that I have falsely worshipped and brought home with me quickly grow dim and rust. Worse than the rusted treasure is the fact that I later question God on not giving me the “finer things in life” like my friends have. Not only do I worship my rusted junk, but I start comparing my rust with theirs. If I like their shade of rust better, I then start pouting like a two year old to God because it is so unfair that He gave them the flavor of lollipop I wanted. And I actually hope that God will respond to my temper tantrum and give me everything my ungrateful little heart wants.
The beauty of it all though is that God already has given me everything I need. He has sacrificed His greatest treasure, His own son, that I may have life and have it to the full. When I repent of my greed, selfishness and ungratefulness, he does not laugh in my face and send me away. Rather, he forgives and openly embraces me, the materialistic sinner. He is the God that I hope to find more and more of in my treasure box each day.
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