Author: oridnarythoughts

Since the Last Time

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“He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” Mark 4:27-28 (ESV)

Since the last time I wrote here, I came down with a rather full upper respiratory infection (URI) that impacted everything from my ears and sinuses to my lungs. This was on top of a minor hip inflammatory issue that already had me slowing down quite a bit. It was not the way I had hoped to spend my Valentines weekend or the remainder of the month. But I settled in for the ride. I’ve learned to do that as I get older, and maybe a little wiser.

The first day I really began to feel bad, I was home by myself for quite awhile. I decided to just sit in the bed in quietness, no TV, no radio, no noise. I watched the daylight fade on the wall in front of me. I dozed off from time to time, but the congestion and the coughing would wake me up, so I would sit up feeling every symptom but also listening for the Spirit to speak. As the day turned to night, the Spirit began to be what He is the most, a Comforter (John 14:15-17). In those quiet moments, I understood the necessity of the time not only for my body to fully heal and be restored of things I didn’t even know had invaded it, but also to be fully healed and restored from a stockpile of feelings of hurt, rejection and toxic relationships that I had neatly tucked away. The following days included a trip to an urgent care, taking lots of medicine, sleeping, reading Scriptures, meditating, journaling, anything that could be done from the comfort of my bed. As I regained my strength, I slowly entered back into my routines. I am still not fully in all the routines I was in and I am not sure I need to be either.

One morning, when the sun was warm, and I felt the need to be outside, I took a slow stroll around the neighborhood. It’s that time of year for the yellow jasmine to begin peeking out of the dreary woods. Instead, I came upon this bush. Out of the brown earth and pine straw, the spindly limbs were reaching up and out. Then I saw it; the tiny little buds of leaves just beginning to pop out of their shells. The first buds of spring, delighted my heart. While I was sleeping and rising, life was renewing around me. While I was sleeping and rising, I was being renewed. Since the last time I wrote here, while I was sleeping and rising, life was moving along. While I was sleeping and rising, God spawned a new season of growth in my life that is just like the tiny buds on the bush that are just beginning to peep out in m world. Though my body was still ejecting the residual congestion (the brown ground), new growth was springing out. It’s springing out with fresh ideas and directions to take. It’s springing out with a renewed connection with the Lord. As I begin to be fully restored, the ear will follow and eventually the full grain. But for now, I am delighting in this moment.

A Geode on the Inside

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Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer. 1:4-5 NRSVue)

There I sat in the middle of a room of familiar people, people who knew why I would have even shown up for this occasion, and yet I felt so cast aside, ignored and overlooked. It gave me pause to ask myself some questions about the roles I have played in people’s lives and whether or not it was a lie I was told or had I convinced myself that I was somehow more than I really am to the people around me. It was a brutal internal moment, when someone came to me and acknowledged my presence and asked for my assistance. It certainly helped to smooth the moment, but the thoughts lingered throughout the day. Later in the afternoon, as I sat in my studio space, pondering and journaling, I looked up at my little treasure tray and my eyes landed on a piece of geode I picked up somewhere along the way. I took it down, examined it and began to have a good self-talk with God, a reminder from Him that it was not necessarily the way I had seen it or felt it, but also a reminder, that in someway I am not so dissimilar to that geode.

I have had a fascination with rocks since I was a child. They tell me that when I was younger, the family convinced me that pet rocks were a real thing. I insisted I had to have one for Christmas. I got one too. Later, we lived in a developing neighborhood where a road had been cut in the dirt but had not been paved or built up yet. Deposited in the deep ditches were beautiful black cubic crystals, more than likely a type of pyrite. It was a regular thing for me and some of the kids in the neighborhood to search for a perfectly formed and separated piece or to find the largest one, etc. I had a whole collection that has long since been lost. I still pick up pieces of quartz, shale, granite and anything that looks a little different. I was awed a few years ago by the rock formations of the Badlands in SD where it seemed like the landscape was both vertical and horizontal at the same time. So the geode in my treasure tray was the catalyst I needed for the conversation I had with myself and God.

A few months ago, I had listed out some things about myself that the Spirit was leading me to jot down. I was making notes about how I see myself or have seen myself in the past and the Spirit was responding to each one of my statements. One of the statements I made was that I have felt rejected and overlooked to which the Spirit’s response was that I was a gem in a rock. So when I had this moment of rejection happening in real time, I was led to re-read the statement, then I looked at the geode and a few things came to mind. First, I took a lightweight dive into how geodes are formed. It is a long process and to put it in simple terms, it’s about how gases get trapped in sedimentary/lava based rocks and create crystals on the inside. They are similar to agate but the difference is that there appears to be an air pocket that causes the crystals to form inwardly and are only visible when one breaks the rock open. To the naked eye, a geode rock will look like a rather ugly egg shaped rock, not worthy of picking up and certainly not collectible material. On the inside, the many facets of crystals capture light and they glisten.

As I compared the moment I was having with what the Spirit was saying, I began to realize that not everyone can discern a geode and not everyone can discern the gem of person God made me to be. That helped a lot. I began to regain my composure and sense of emotional well-being. I thought about how the exterior of the rock hides the beauty of the rock from undiscerning eyes. Everything is not for everybody. In God’s words to Jeremiah, he was questioning his age and ability to speak for God. God equipped Jeremiah first by letting him know he was created for the moment, then proceeded to help him understand that though he would often be rejected by men, God had not and would not reject Jeremiah. I will never put myself equivalent to Jeremiah, but I do know God called me to do the things I do, and often it comes with a sense of rejection, but I am like that geode; hard but also beautiful. Later the same day, someone who was at the event and connected to my current church, called me and figuratively said, “I opened the geode and I see who you are.” It was the final word I needed.

I am pretty sure that someone who is reading this, may feel or has felt like I did in the moment. Remember that a geode takes time to develop and most will never recognize it when they see one. But at the right time, it will become known and the beauty inside will be plainly visible to all who will take the time to look for it and those are the people we should want in our lives more than anyone else. The flip side of this is that I think we all are a bit like a geode and before we are quick to overlook, reject or toss aside someone because they seem rough on the exterior or don’t fit into our mold of what a person should be, take the time to look inside for the gem of the person that God created them to be and let them know you see them.

Just Show Up, Girl!

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Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to Him through God the Father. (Col. 3:17 ESV)

The color palette is right, but the painting, I am not so sure about. I’ve had this idea rolling around in my mind for a while. Today, I began to work on it, partly as an exercise to loosen up my mind to write, but also to show up for myself in My Create Space, a place I’ve designated for all creative projects. It is so easy to drift away into the flow of life and not give attention to the part of me that God created to be creative. Since my retirement from secular work, it was always my intention to give myself more to this creative side. I’ve done okay with it, but I still feel like it’s not the best I could do.

I determined some years ago, that I would not put myself under the pressure of being a professional artist of any sort. I’ve given it half a stab at it here and there, but over time, I came to realize that painting, drawing and making things is a gift I’ve been given to express myself and to honor God for the gifting. I do apply my creative abilities in so many other places of my life which has helped me in ministry and in my professional life, but the painting and drawing is a special communication between God and me.

Here is a reality many creatives face; we are our own worse critics and enemies to the process. If it doesn’t seem to be exactly the way we envisioned it or just like the thing we were trying to convey, we are quick to quit, speak negatively to ourselves, compare ourselves to others, and not continue to pursue the gifting, which quickly leads to creative block. I am just as guilty as many others. In the past few years, I’ve been reading up on ways to handle creative block, and the one theme that keeps recurring is, “just show up.” One of the most influential books I’ve read, reminded me that it’s not my job to be perfect, it’s my job to be present in the process and to let God handle the rest.

Today, as I was working the paint across the canvas, it slipped off the easel and hit the floor face down. I quickly picked it up and while the floor was just fine, the painting was covered with small specks of dirt and hair from the garage floor. It was a moment to decide to quit or to work through it. I decided to quickly brush off the majority of the specks and hair, smooth over the paint and let it dry.

This is the other thing about painting. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but it’s crucial to take moments to step back, to let paint dry and yes even let the mistakes become part of the overall product. Teaching myself to not be perfect has been a hard one. As I stepped back, looked at the color palette then looked at the canvas, I was reminded why I show up here in the first place, to give thanks to God for the way He has gifted me.

No matter what God has gifted you to do or be, I wanted to share this little story to encourage you, to just show up! Show up like you are presenting to the King. Don’t beat yourself down with perfection for this only One perfect being and it’s not you or me. Show up like it’s the last chance you’ve got. Don’t worry about the mistakes, they probably aren’t mistakes in God’s eyes but they are the things that He does to perfect our work. I am telling myself and I am telling you, “Just Show Up, Girl (or Man)”. You will never regret it.

Rest

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In the stillness of the morning, before the world stirred, a layer of snow lay across a land that rarely sees snow. It beckoned us to rest. Unlike other places where there are stockpiles of salt and snow plows, we have to wait patiently for it to melt. It seemed that all creation and God was saying take a few days to rest, to take in the moment. It let me know just how much difficulty I/we have with being still. Our first inclination is to get busy, to make paths to our vehicles that can’t go anywhere and if we moved them, we would find that many of the places we would go, were closed. So being forced to pause, I took it all in…the reverent hush of nature, the pure scent in the air, the bright glare from the ground that lit the house like a spotlight…I took my queue from the Lord and settled in for a few days…

Rear View Mirror

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“be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery..” Deut. 6:12 (NASB)

“Do not call to mind the former things, Or consider things of the past. Behold, I am going to do something new,” Is. 43:18-19a (NASB)

“Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:13-14 (NASB)

Photo by Mark Neal on Pexels.com

January brings on the sense of renewal. It is the time of year that we are looking at our lives, figuring out how to improve them, to start new habits and perhaps drops some old ones. It is also a time when we re-set our focus on life goals and build a determination to re-set our lives in general. We may be trying to re-boot from bad experiences, trials and tribulations, health issues, financial troubles, any variety of things. The Isaiah and the Philippians scriptures above are often repeated during this New Year frenzy as words of inspiration and hope for what the future may hold for us. I have used them for myself more than once.

But one morning, I was making the bed and I remembered that the new year began with a concern for the residents of Los Angeles, my granddaughter included, who were and are still in fear of their safety because of the massive wild fires out there. Almost instantly, the thought came to me how easily we put things into the rear view mirror of our memory banks and move on to the next big thing. It seemed that the news cycle was on top of this story and then all the sudden, it was taken over by politics, shootings etc. Now it falls somewhere down on number 3 – 5 in the list of headlines to be covered. It made me pause and wonder what and when do we need to put in the rear view mirrors of our lives. I was reminded of both the Deuteronomy text and the Isaiah and Philippian texts almost simultaneously.

The purpose of a rear view mirror is to help a driver be aware of any dangers that may be coming our way from behind us because while we are driving it is unsafe for us to completely turn around and look at what is happening in the road. It also helps us to determine if a lane shift is advisable or not. In other words, the rear view mirror is a practical aid to our driving and should never be completely ignored. It also helps us to see what we have already passed and over time, the miles begin to melt away as we move forward on our journey. On a long trip, the rear view mirror is the friendly reminder that it’s not as long as it has been. However, if all our attention is on the rear view mirror we will be completely unaware of the changes and dangers in the road ahead of us. I can remember in my driver’s education classes and even when my Dad took me out for driving lessons, that I was always told to keep shifting my vision from the rear view and side view mirrors to the road ahead and be alert for things popping up in my peripheral vision as well, so that I could be fully aware and engaged in my driving.

Some might look at the texts above and say that God is contradicting Himself. I think God is telling us how to drive through this life. Certain things we must always be aware of and remember; His Word, His promises, His commands like the way I was told to shift my vision constantly to take in the whole scope of my driving route. Other things are not meant to be dwelled upon. The sins forgiven comes to the forefront of my mind. How often do we keep dwelling on what we did in our former days that God has since forgiven? It is not a longing to return, but it is the bemoaning and blame gaming we do that prevents us from moving forward in the victory God has given us. This was Isaiah and Paul’s statement to their audiences. In effect, they are saying we can’t change the past but we trust that God has resolved it in our confession and faith in salvation so that we no longer entangle ourselves or prevent ourselves from living in the fullness and blessings God has given us in restoring our souls. Yet there is the delicate balance of remembering the lessons learned and so we should keep checking our proverbial rear view mirrors to make sure that we are not letting something creep up on us unaware. I believe that is what we see in the Deuteronomy text. That is the delicate balance I am speaking about; we should never forget where God brought us from but we can’t dwell in the past if we plan to reach our final destination, our eternal home.

Half Moon in the Midday Sky

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“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons and for days and years. They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so.” Gen. 1:14-15 (ESV)

I had just started a new devotional study on the book of Genesis on Monday. The next day, while I was out completing errands and going about my day, I looked up and the moon was showing itself in the midday sky between the winter branches of a tree. I had just read the passage above the day before, and made notes of how God set the world in order down to the moon, sun and stars for the express purpose of giving us nights and days and seasons. The passage was brought back to my memory in the moment. I also remembered a seminary instructor once explaining that sometimes scriptures are not just either/or but sometimes they are both/and. The paradox of seeing the moon in the brilliance of the sunlit day was a moment of realizing the truth of the both/and.

It is true that the sun gives us our days and the moon is related to our nights. But also take notice of the text above that says the purpose of the sun and moon is also “for seasons and days and years”. In order for that to happen and if we can remember our basic astronomy classes, it takes twenty-eight days for the moon to completely rotate around the earth. In those twenty-eight days, sometimes we don’t even see the moon (new moon) and at other times we only see parts of the moon even if it happens in the middle of the day. God didn’t say that the moon would only shine at night, but that the sun would be brighter than the moon and rule over the day, while the moon would rule over the night and it was good (v. 16-19). For the greater picture of seasons, days and years to play out, God has a timing to each of these elements that relies on the rotation and the tilt of the earth around the sun and the moon around the earth that sometimes causes the moon to be in the sky at the same time that the sun is shining but it is never brighter than the sun. What struck me in the moment was both the sun and the moon were shining, and, due to the tilt of the earth, in this hemisphere we are in the depths of winter where everything is stripped bare and the air is notably cooler.

The sight of this helped me to realize that while there are some things that are clearly either one way or another, God also allows us to experience things in tandem, often at the same time. On this particular day, I was recovering from a meeting that went off the deep end the night before, sorting through what had happened and how to resolve some of the issues. I had taken a drive through the country to another town to visit someone in the hospital. The route my Google maps took me on was different than ones I had taken in the past. It was like the AI that runs the applications knew I needed to decompress and regain my peace and composure. So when I stepped out of the car and crossed the hospital parking lot, I saw the scene above and I was reminded that days can be both chaotic and peaceful, happy and sad, rough and easy and the same God who placed the sun and the moon is over all of it.

More importantly the reality of this both/and paradigm shows me that no matter what the situation, no matter how out of place it might seem, there is always a bigger picture, where God is guiding my days, nights, seasons and years to fulfill His purpose. Sometimes, we demand the simplicity of clear boundaries of either this or that when in fact, it seems to me the majority of our lives are a blurred line of both/and. When I can take a moment to step back from my expectations and behold the beauty of life with all it’s intricate ins and outs, then I can appreciate how sometimes the half moon shines in the midday sunlight and it is good.

Like A Sore Thumb

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“Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” 1Tim. 4:11-12

As I walked along the road one morning, my eye was drawn to a singular red leaf on a branch of green and partially changed leaves. It is autumn, so a red leaf in and of itself is not unusual, but when I saw that it was the only red leaf on the branch, it really stood out. My mind immediately thought about those who are gifted leaders. My first thought was Timothy, who was a young man that demonstrated strong leadership skills (Acts 16:1-3) but it also appears that his leadership put him on the outside fringes requiring Paul to remind him more than once to exercise his gifts. The text above is one such exhortation.

My second thought was about Peter who repeatedly took the lead in questions and comments to Jesus. He was a brash personality that Jesus would have to rein in from time to time as he spoke out of turn or acted rashly. It was Peter who responded first to Jesus’ call but also would question Him about forgiveness (Matt. 18:21), who wanted to direct Jesus in His ministry by stating that the crucifixion would never happen and had to be rebuked (Matt. 16:22-23), he declared he would never deny Jesus (Luke 22:31-34) and he also was the first to declare Jesus as the Messiah (Luke 9:20). Peter was also the person bold enough to walk on water (Matt. 14:28) and lopped the ear off of a someone in the crowd that arrested Jesus (John 18:10-11). Peter was the ringleader of the disciples (Mark1:36; Luke 22:32). Despite his rashness, Jesus recognized the leader that he would become by declaring that the church would be built upon him and his confession of faith (Matt. 16:18). Indeed, he became that leader on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14).

These are two strikingly different personalities and yet both are considered as leaders in the early church. One demonstrated leadership in his consistent godly character and the other in his boldness of character. In their own way they rose to the forefront of the church and I imagine in their own way they must have felt like they stuck out like a sore thumb amongst their peers.

The gift of leadership is a bit of a dichotomy. By definition, a leader is in front of a group, a forerunner, often more advanced in thinking than their peers. The flip side is that the leader can feel isolated and alone for the very reasons that they are identified as a leader. Spiritually speaking a leader’s gifts will make room for them (Prov. 18:16) which means that they often find themselves in charge of a ministry project, a small group or a board. It usually happens simply because, the leader begins to express ideas or formulate an action plan almost effortlessly that pushes them to the front of the room, the head of the class or first in line. No matter how much they may try to keep quiet, invariably they can’t help but express an opinion, a strategy or a new viewpoint that makes heads turn. It can make the person feel like they stick out like a sore thumb.

I am familiar with this dichotomy, and I lean more towards a Timothy type of leader, often questioning the role I am in or the direction God is taking me. I have sat in meetings countless times, vowing to never say a word and it only takes one comment that doesn’t make sense to me, and I am on my feet and my mouth is speaking. To that degree, I may be more like a Peter. Either way it goes it often feels like I am the only one out there and a bit of sore thumb in the crowd. People trust my leadership skills even when I don’t trust them. But the thought processes that get me to my feet or open my mouth, seemingly sets me apart from my peers like a sore thumb.

So what does this beautiful red leaf teach me today? Leadership gifting does set me apart from the crowd and God makes it obvious to all around me. I can downplay the gifting by stating that I stick out like a sore thumb or I can display it like this red leaf as a glorious and beautiful gift I have by God’s grace.

Ekklesia

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“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing hear.” Hebrews 11:24-25 ESV

I was sitting on the porch one evening and noticed this mound in my backyard. I had to go down and take a closer look to discover that it was actually a mound of mushrooms with other smaller mounds growing around it. I had to do a quick Google search and discovered that this mound of mushrooms is called hen-of-the-woods. I’ve seen them before, but this particular mound was much larger and taller than I had seen before. Up close, it is clear that it is not one mushroom but multiple mushrooms growing closely together. Interestingly, they come from one root stalk but they multiply by spores on the underside of each spoon-like top. They are edible and they are useful to the ecological systems of the forest, helping to decay rotted tree stumps and return nutrients back into the soil. They remind me of what the church should be like. How so?

The word for church in the original Greek language is ekklesia. It means an assembly of the called out. Jesus was the first to use the phrase when Peter confessed who Jesus was (Matt.16:18). There Jesus says that upon Peter and his confession, the church would be built and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. In Acts 11:26, Antioch is the place where the ekklesia is named Christians and it is this same ekklesia that would ordain and send Paul out on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-2). Other examples of the ekklesia in Acts show us that the church prayed and gathered in various places, helping one another to grow in their faith. The ekklesia of the New Testament was not a particular denomination, simply a gathering of believers. People have made it so much more complicated than it has to be. So how does this mound of mushrooms remind me of the church?

First, it is made of many parts but it is all on one stalk. The church is made of many members but our one stalk is Jesus Christ. Second, the cluster of mushrooms is working together to grow more mushrooms. We should also be gathering together in our various gifts and abilities to grow strong Christians. Third, this cluster of mushrooms is contributing to the health of its ecology and making more colonies in its vicinity. (If you look closely, you will see a smaller mound in the background). The church should be making an impact on our world and society and expanding its work in other parts of the world around us.

This clump of mushrooms has given me some things to consider about myself and where I fit in the ekklesia we call church. Am I connected to the stalk? I believe so. Am I working in cohesion with my fellow believers to help them grow in love and good works? I strive to make it so. Does the work I do replenish and spawn new disciples? I would like to think so. Does the ekklesia I am a part of look as tightly connected as this hen-of-the-woods growing in my back yard? I certainly hope so. In any case, I have this very real reminder of what ekklesia is all about.

Abiding

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“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 ESV

Fall is slowly coming in SC. I was out walking one morning and saw this holly bush heavy burdened with berries. In a couple of months they will be the familiar red berries everyone sees at Christmas time. It reminded me of myself to some degree.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like God is moving me from one season of my life to another, especially in the realm of ministry. The Spirit has had me observing the subtle changes of fall and applying what I observe to how God is working in my life. I am in the place of in-between and waiting as patiently as I know how to step into my next phase, whatever and wherever that leads me.

By almost every spiritual gift analysis I have ever taken, I am a heavily gifted person. I understand that fully and I also know that I have not been fully active in some of those gifts. Perhaps this partly to a lag in faith on my part, but more importantly, I see it as a situation where God has been developing other gifts to build me up to the place where I am fully active in all the gifts (if that makes sense). It is an error I see some take — to see what their gifting is, then declare them and try to engage in all of them without letting God grow us and ripen us for the right season. I have been watching myself ripen in the gifts that I have been engaged in, but there are more that God needs to finish ripening in order for me to be the most effective servant possible.

These green holly berries are truly plentiful but they are not ripe yet. They need to remain on the bush a little longer, receive nutrients from the bush, be bathed in the autumn sunlight and yes, endure a cold snap or two with heavy frost before they will come to be the plump red berries that we like to see decorate our homes with at Christmas. Without going through the natural process of ripening, they will rot or fall off the bush before time. They are in the in-between stages of existing but not yet in season. Jesus gives us a beautiful example of how we are to grow in Christ and in our faith walk. First, we must be attached (salvation), then we have to grow (spiritual formation activities) and then we will bear fruit (discipleship). None of this happens if we don’t take part in a seemingly idle activity – abiding. Abiding simply means to remain. We remain in Christ when we participate in fellowship, pray, worship, meditate and study God’s word. We remain in Christ when we trust Him in the hardest of times and delight in Him in the best of times. It seems like a simple enough task, but the throws of life can make it very difficult. Our own doubts, fears and faltering faith make it very difficult. But the promise here is that if we remain in Christ, we will bring forth an abundance of fruit that will cause others to turn to Christ. The caveat is in the last part of the verse. When we don’t abide in Him, nothing of any spiritual good will come from us. We will be like berries that rot on the branch or fall to the ground. It seems like such a waste of energy to let that happen. And when I consider my personal spiritual growth, the place where I am now of in-between, I will continue to wait patiently for the changes that are coming because I want to be fully ripened to do all that He has for me to do.

Treasures

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“Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.” 2 Cor. 4:7

Ever since I was a child I collected “treasures”. My treasures were never gold, silver or jewels but natural objects that caught my attention as I wandered through woods, streams and anywhere I went. I have always been fascinated with rocks and shells. But I will collect feathers and leaves and sticks as well. To the ordinary eye they may look rather ordinary, but in my eyes they are wonderful moments of awe at God’s creation. The collecting has not really stopped, just scaled back in adult life. Now I keep a tray on my art table of these treasures. They are reminders of moments in time, paths I have walked or the sheer wonder of God’s creation. My daughter came by one day and noticed my little treasure box and she was thrilled to see it and to know that she was not alone in her treasure hunting either.

When I pick up these various items and examine them, they often have rough exteriors and imperfections but there is a unique quality in each of them that caused me to take notice of them in the first place. Jesus would use finding treasures as a parabolic teaching to understand how precious God’s word is to us (Matt. 13:45-46;Luke 15:8-10). But He would also warn us to not store up treasures on earth and miss the treasure of heaven (Matt. 6:19-21) and to be mindful that out of the treasures of our heart our mouths will speak (Matt. 12:33-37). But one of my favorite texts about treasures comes from 2 Corinthians where Paul is explaining who he is in ministry and really who all of us are in God’s sight if we are choosing to live for Him.

The treasure is Christ living on the inside through the Holy Spirit. God saw fit to hide this treasure in meek and simple vessels like our weak and worn bodies. The purpose is not to hide it from the world for fear of it being stolen. No, the purpose is to cause those who will search beneath the surface of our circumstances, weaknesses, confusion and despair to see the real sustaining power of Christ at work in us and through us. This power will cause us to smile at those who persecute, press forward when pushed backwards, and get up when we receive life threatening blows. Most jewels are hidden in dingy rocks, gold has to be mined and silver has to be refined. So those who have Jesus living on the inside are precious jewels and metals in God’s sight, we just happened to be dressed in earthly bodies that are prone to wear and tear, imperfect shapes and sizes. We are the vessels of God’s heavenly treasure waiting to be unearthed to show forth His love and power to any and all who will look and see.