Luke 12:34 - For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NKJV)
My husband and I often visit flea markets, yard sales,
and "junk" shops, just looking to find something of special interest that
someone else has discarded. The old saying, "One man's junk is another man's
treasure", takes on a new meaning as we encounter many people on the same
treasure hunt.
On one of our trips home from New Brunswick, Canada,
we happened on an old junk shop in the middle of nowhere, and the shop was
literally spewing its contents out onto the driveway. Of course, we had to stop
to take a quick peek! This shop had everything you never knew you wanted, and
more! As we slowly made our way to the back of the shop, we had to go through a
maze, in and around loads of tables laden with all kinds of jewellery and
knick-knacks, as well as furniture placed haphazardly in the aisles. The light
grew dimmer as we proceeded inside the depths of that large shop. Then I saw
"it" from the corner of my eye! Now I was on a mission to get to that particular
spot and actually see "it" up close. Nestled away up in a far corner was a teddy
bear exactly like the one I had had when I was a child! It was beautiful -- oh
yes, it had tears and stains and one ear was missing where some child had chewed
on it! But to me it was beautiful! The memories it brought back were wonderful
and spoke of a time when life was predictable and carefree. After a somewhat
precarious climb to the top of a pile of everything thrown in that corner and
forgotten, I held my treasure in my hands, clutching it to my heart, and made my
way to the cashier at the front of the store to pay for my bear. Not even my
husband's remark, "You're buying that old thing? It's all worn and used", could
dampen my special connection to that old bear tossed aside and forgotten.
God looks for His treasures too -- us! He may find us
in dark corners of life where everyone else has forgotten us. He may have to
uncover a lot of rubble and clutter in the path to us, but He still searches for
us. We may be used, worn, and tired-looking, and we may even feel utterly
useless, but when He looks at us, He sees us as He knows we can be!
Psalm 51:12 - Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. (NKJV)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what God
sees in us is not what we or those around us may see. Isn't that amazing? God
looks at our hearts and knows what we really want to become, what we can become
with His help!
No matter what life has dealt us or how it has shaped
us to this point, we are to Him a treasure worth loving and restoring. That
teddy bear was just a worthless old childhood bear tossed away when it was no
longer needed, but I saw the comfort and joy, the constant friend it had been at
one time, and I loved it, tatters and all. God knows what our journey has been,
and though we may be tattered, torn, and unappealing to ourselves or to many
others, He loves us and longs to draw us to His heart and give us new hope and
new direction.
Isaiah 40:31 - But those who wait on the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run
and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (NKJV)
Let's treasure God's Word and believe it! Let Him
treasure us!
Prayer: Dear God, thank You for seeing us as we can be
in You. You know our struggles and our dreams. You know the longings of our
hearts. Help us today to allow You to hold us, help us, and walk with us on our
journey through life. Thank You for allowing us to be the treasure You seek. In
Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Lauretta Balderston
laure@eastlink.ca
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca
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