“for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.” Matt 6:21
What would you say is your greatest wish or desire at this very moment? Has there been something that you’ve been longing for that’s been all consuming? How has this wish, longing or desire affected your day to day life? Is this your motivation to go on and what drives you to power through another day?
I live about two miles from Beverly Hills and walking distance from two major movie studios. Hollywood is just a few minutes drive east from my front door. Needless to say I frequently talk with people who’s life is consumed with getting their foot in the door so to speak. I meet servers in restaurants and barista’s in coffee shops who’ve transplanted from other parts of the country to come to L.A. in hopes of becoming part of the entertainment dream.
If you were to gather a group of women in a room and ask them the one wish or desire on which their lives center, I’m sure the answers would vary but some would be the same. I think career and financial stability would rank very high. For some it might be the pursuit of happiness. In the last twenty years I’ve noticed a sharp rise in women radically obsessing over body image and anti aging. These and many other pursuits have been part and parcel of the human quest since the beginning of time.
I love how the scriptures address every issue of the human drama. What ever your age or season of life, as soon as you open your bible it speaks to those places in the heart that only an omniscient God could know. When He tells us in His word “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” why in the world did He insert that into the pages of His word? First, let’s look at the word treasure. Webster’s defines it as something of great worth or value. The obvious question for me is “what is of great worth and value to me?” When I answer that question that will tell me where my heart truly is.
I’ve had many things that I’ve treasured in the last thirty six years of my life. My marriage, my children and now my grandchildren. I’ve treasured the wonderful opportunities that God has given me in the ministry. These will always be aspects of my life that I hold dear. And yes, throughout my journey I’ve gotten preoccupied by certain interests and pursuits all of which were short lived. As the years of life, family and ministry roll on there has become for me a sweet simplicity in what I’ve found that I truly treasure above all. My Savior!
The apostle Paul echoes this discovery in Phil 3:7-8. “What things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value (treasure) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…”
Ladies, the lovingkindness and patience of the Lord is astounding when you think of how long it takes and how long He waits to become the object of our affections. The tenderness of our Savior knows that once we’ve tried and experienced just enough of what life has to offer and find that we still long for more, there He stands ready to be all that we ever needed all along. Praise Him!