Treasures

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." Matthew 6:19-21 Message

This verse came from a devotional I read today. It made me think, like a good devotional should. What are my treasures? Where do I place them? Then I switched it from the church-y sounding verse to the Message.

The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

For all the stalkers out there, I spend a bulk of my time at home when I'm not working. I'm often sitting around reading a book or playing with the kids or just hanging out with Nickel discussing life and family.

One or two times a week I have coffee with friends. I really like my time in the coffee shops because paying $4 for a cup of coffee seems to make people happy. Or maybe it's because people go there with people they like to be around and visit with while enjoying a tasty beverage.

Another place I like to be is in church on Saturday Night when my pastor is speaking. When I have to miss one of his sermons my week just doesn't set right. You can imagine my funk when over the last few months we've had special speakers and he's had to take off for one reason or another. I do get out and do other things but they're not very important to me.

So where I keep my treasures are at home in a book and in an expensive cup of coffee? Uh... is that really where I want to keep my treasures?

But today's passage gave me cause to pause. Sometimes even the obvious isn't obvious without at least taking a moment to think.

My home isn't my treasure. It's my family that fills it.

The coffee shop isn't my treasure. That's where I spend time with my friends through laughter and tears.

My church isn't my treasure. That's where I go to interact with fellow believers, where I worship, where I learn, where I grow spiritually.

My could be destroyed and yes, I would miss my things but as long as I had my family I would survive. I could never have another cup of coffee or chai in my life and I would survive, but without my friends I would be miserable. I could stop going to my church for one reason or another and I would miss it terribly because of the people and the experiences but I'd take God with me because He's in my heart, with my friend and my family, my treasure.

-where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars...