The Unexpected Treasure Within – Day 31

I didn’t realize it was slightly mean of me to get my five year old grandson and his two year old sister all excited about the surprise I brought them. They ran following me to the car. When I turned around and handed them each their surprise, their mama asked them what it was. “A tone”, Elise {Rapunsel} said – rather confused and not very excited. I think Reid was being polite.

“Come and let’s find daddy and ask him help us do something to the stones.”

He brought his chisel and hammer out and began chipping away gently. Rapunzel is still holding hers. Still not excited.

Suddenly, the chisel finished its job and the stone split open.

And the treasure was revealed.

Then, they understood what made this plain looking “tone” such a treasure.

As we reach the end of the 31 day challenge you have so graciously journeyed with me, I could think of no better way to illustrate the journey of grief.

When we are in the depths of grief, many of us have felt like the nondescript stone. Hiding in plain sight – we try our best not to be noticed. We want to be invisible, not drawing attention to ourselves – and we get pretty good at it.

But God is the great noticer. Nothing escapes His eye.

He picks us up out of the rubble of life – He alone knows the hidden treasure inside of us.

He brings out just the right tools and proceeds to get to work on us.

God is intentional in His love for us. It is not an accident. He doesn’t smash us to give us a glimpse of the treasure inside of us. He opens us up with the hand of an expert. As we give up the walls we have surrounded ourselves with, as we relinquish the determination that we will never trust or we will never be able to live life again because of all the pain and grief we carry, He is determined to open the inside of us and move His light into our hearts and souls.

And when it happens, we are as beautiful a sight as the inside of the geodes were that day.

We are God’s treasure. We are precious to Him. Precious gems.

Our human side thinks the only treasures are of this earth, but we soon learn when we abide in God’s love that the real treasure lies in God’s hands.

We are beautiful to Him. We are not broken and crushed but made whole when He calls us His own.

Jesus is talking in Matthew 6.  I think this might be one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. It is full of gems of instruction for living life on this earth well.

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

Following Jesus’ teachings in this chapter – we will be laying our eternal treasures – not so concerned with the tangible of this life. Our hearts will be full.

And . . . as Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.

Even though this world might see a plain brown rock, unremarkable to the simple eye, Jesus sees the treasure within.

Live knowing you are His treasure. He holds your tears in His hands, your broken heart in His hands and holds you close in your grieving. He heals. Many think that time heals and that’s what they see when they look at you moving through grief. Time gets the credit, but the credit belongs only to God when the healing is a treasure for eternity.

“Lord, I pray our treasure has been revealed and it is evident to all around us that it lies in Your hands. You alone reveal the beauty within us. The greatest gift of all is knowing You will never leave us. May we allow our inside treasure to shine and sparkle just like the inside of the geodes. A beauty unlike anything of earthly nature. We praise You. We love You Lord. Today, tomorrow and for the rest of our numbered, finite days here on earth. Amen.”