Timeless Treasures

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

One morning my dad sent me a video of my daughter riding a rocking horse when she was three years old. Her little voice and laughter came through the speaker as she talked with my dad about reading books and riding fast, her unruly blonde curls bouncing in her eyes the whole time. I chuckled as I remembered her as such a spunky toddler. The recording was just two minutes long, but it’s priceless to me now that she’s so much older and has already changed in so many ways. I quickly thanked him for the video, asking him to send any others that he found on his phone.

As I watched the short clip several more times, I teared up hearing the sweet little singsong voice I’d almost forgotten. Realizing how easy it was to take for granted at the time, now I couldn’t get enough of it. I saved it to my computer to preserve this treasure I didn’t even know I had been missing.

How much of life do we take for granted? Whether people, experiences, or things, we’ve all missed real treasures from times gone by, and if given a choice to go back, we would value them much more the second time around.

The Kingdom of God is no different. It’s easy, especially if we’ve been following Jesus for a long time, to take our relationship with him and all that he has done for us for granted. But Scripture reminds us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that someone finds. When they realize what they have, they sell everything else they own to buy it.

When was the last time I treasured what Jesus has done for me so much that I would give up everything to keep it? Too long ago, I’m afraid. But when I realize that all my comfort, peace, and joy come from him, I remember what matters, and for that, I would leave everything. Give me Jesus above all else.

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

What have you taken for granted in the past? Stop to thank God and treasure it now.