I was on a mission.
My husband had taken the kids on a walk and I had a few minutes to race through the house cleaning and picking up all of the items which seemed to cover every square inch of floor.
I became a veritable “Mommy Tornado”!
Nothing was safe as I worked my way up the stairs and followed the trail of Legos leading to my son’s room.
The epicenter of the mess.
As I looked around the room my eyes landed on his dresser which was strewn with every kind of knick-knack you could imagine.
I started shoving things into drawers and bins not really caring if it landed in the right one. I just wanted it out of sight.
Where on earth did all of this stuff come from?
Here were rocks, there were little slips of paper and an acorn or two thrown in for good measure. I knew why they were in his room.
You see, in my son’s case, one man’s trash literally IS another man’s treasure! Each of these items was intended to be stored away in the most sacred of places.
His Treasure Drawer.
Ticket stubs, batteries, coins, a leather pouch filled with “gold”, pieces of broken toys.
I began going through that drawer looking for items which could possibly be extracted without my son noticing. And I wondered why he had chosen those particular things.
What was it about the particular piece of bark from the playground that caught his eye? Why was that string so valuable to him? And I just couldn’t bring myself to throw anything out. These are all cherished items. They represent something.
Something he wants to remember. Something he wants to hold onto.
And it got me thinking.
What am I holding onto?
What can I not let go of?
What is in my “treasure drawer”?
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” Matthew 6:19-21
I know I have a lot of earthly treasures.
I have a home I love and I enjoy making it warm and welcoming. In that home are many things I value, things which have been passed down from generation to generation. Like my grandmother’s china cabinet.
And as grateful as I am for those things, I’m sure that I can’t fully appreciate just how tremendously blessed I really am. Until you have truly gone without, I don’t think you can grasp the magnitude of how much you really have to be thankful for.
But, to be honest, I don’t struggle as much with the “storing up” of those things in my heart.
It is what, or rather WHO, lives inside my home that I want to hide away in my treasure drawer.
There are 3 of them, and they are my treasures.
They are where my heart is.
They consume my thoughts and make up the bulk of my worries and fears.
I hold onto them tightly and begin to think that somehow I can control everything.
I “store up” this control until it paralyzes me to think of something ever happening to my treasures. What if the “moth and rust” seep in? What if “thieves break in and steal”?
What if?
What if?
And yet, they aren’t really mine, are they?
They belong to the One who loves them even more than I do.
A love like that seems impossible to imagine.
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19
They are really His treasures!
So, I pray for His help in releasing my grip.
I pray that what I “store up” in my heart is a deeper and more abiding love for Him.
And that I will recognize that they never were my treasures to begin with.
They are gifts!
Gifts given to me to cherish while we are here on this earth.
Gifts of which I am only really just a steward.
Gifts which I treasure having in my life.
That is a powerful message for me today. I have begun to worry (need a message on that!) about what would I do if I lost my husband of 50 years. He is my earthly rock. I was a little more independent before he retired because he traveled a lot. But since his retirement he does so much to take care of me. With the Lord’s help I will try to enjoy the gift I have now and try not to worry about the “what ifs?” I’m so glad you are sending these messages. You do an awesome job.
Blessings to you Nancy! I so appreciate your encouragement! 🙂
I also than you for this message. My husband of 25 years is my earthly rock, and I worry in the same way what if something happened to him?! He is my gift. I, too, must let go. Thank you and thank you, Nancy, for your post. Blessings.
Thank you so much Beverly!
Like @Beverly and @Nancy, I really appreciated today’s post. But, for different reasons. You see, after two tries, I did not accomplish the relationships they enjoy. I made up my mind after the last gut wrenching heartbreak I would not try again. I didn’t. I found instead that my life would be just as gratifying to me if I filled myself with my love for my daughter and grandsons and God. Actually, God came first in my quest for happiness. I appreciate so much the solid marriages that I see every day. I just want others to know that there are other ways to have the same deep fulfillment. Tell you what, you really learn what you are made of! You learn an awful lot about YOU!
So glad you shared your heart Linda!! God should always come first no matter what. Blessings to you today! 🙂
Beautiful reminder!
What a great post. The loved ones in our lives are our greatest treasures. I lost my husband of 37 years 2 years ago and the memories are so treasured. Now my mother is battling breast cancer and she has been a treasure to me for 63 years!
I loved this message. Right from the heart My children are grown but know exactly how you love! Keep cherishing that collection! they grow up and too so they are gone!
So glad for this reminder. This life is so finite and we must cherish moments with those we love.
Beautifully said friend!
I really needed to read this today.My son is graduating this year, next year my daughter. I’m struggling with letting go. Thank you for all your encouragement and posts about how we can become better by giving ourselves to God. You give me new perspective and are such a blessing to others. God is working through you in wonderful ways. Your light shines through and you have certainly touched my life and helped bring me closer to Him. Bless you and your family.
Beautifully written Vanessa! I agree, my family means more to me than anything.And the older I get the less I want to hold on too as far as stuff. I am hoping to make a move to smaller home in the next couple of years, and I am looking forward to living with less.
Loved this post. Thanks.
Such a great post Vanessa! Being a mom these thoughts always go through our heads but this is such a wonderful way to rationalize those thoughts! It is true, they are the most precious gifts we could ever be given.
So true… Somehow God loves our “treasures” even more than we do; hardly seems possible! And yes, they were His before they were ours. I’m still learning to trust that God’s “got it” when it comes to my and my loved ones’ futures. His ways are not mine, but He has always been faithful…