Treasure Hunting
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
I was just watching a Youtube video about the treasures a woman found for a fall party she was planning. She had a huge, fancy, glass drink dispenser, various table risers and serving pieces and stands all adorned with "bling" in perfect fall tones. She also had a set of new napkin rings. She was so excited! I thought it was a bit much, but she LOVED it.
Okay, so who doesn't like to shop? Who doesn't like to find that perfect item? That treasure? I know I've been thrilled to go on a mission and actually find just what I was hoping for! (My shopping days have been suspended until further notice)
I've always been on the thrifty side. Kinda had to be. And I am okay with that. For me, finding true bargains at discount and second-hand stores is about as exciting as it gets and then there is a feeling of pride for how little was spent, etc. Really, it's that bargain-hunting gene I have in me.
Traipsing through endless second-hand stores is also great therapy (as long as you find SOMETHING!!) There's nothing quite like getting lost deep within the aisles and shelves steeped high with all manner of used treasures just waiting to be discovered for the second time.
Now, I don't mean to be critical of the Youtube woman, but while I was watching her video, I felt she was a bit extravagant and I thought how meaningless it all was. Maybe it was because at church, this past week, a woman who had gone on a mission trip to Africa, came and shared her experiences with us through a slide-show presentation. She told of the widow project she, as our conference's Women's Ministry leader, had helped start over there over the past few years. A couple months ago she got the opportunity to go over herself and last week she came to share with us.
In the Congo, where she went, there is a huge number of widows, young, old and in-between, that all became widowed the day rebel fighters came to their villages and killed hundreds of their men right in front of them. The women have suffered severely. The Women's Ministry leader started the widow project, which gave widows goats so they could sell their milk as well as make goat cheese to sell to help provide for their families. The Women's Ministry leader kept stressing, these women have nothing. Their life is a daily struggle to barely survive and keep their children alive. These women have nothing; we have so much, she repeated this a few times. When she came back home she just felt sick because of all she had.
As she spoke, her heart was still in the Congo, with the poor, suffering and very appreciative widows. She, along with many others, have invested in the lives of these women and their children and are making a real difference for them.
I think it would be a great experience if all of us could be transplanted into the shoes of women like these. If we could live the life they do...just for awhile. Maybe our hearts would grow to care and maybe we'd be more inclined to help the suffering in the world. It's so easy to forget in a country like America.
I think suddenly many of the "treasures" we seek here, would likely become nothing more than useless trinkets once we realized the value our treasure has when given to help lift up the poor and needy.
Matthew 6:21
I was just watching a Youtube video about the treasures a woman found for a fall party she was planning. She had a huge, fancy, glass drink dispenser, various table risers and serving pieces and stands all adorned with "bling" in perfect fall tones. She also had a set of new napkin rings. She was so excited! I thought it was a bit much, but she LOVED it.
Okay, so who doesn't like to shop? Who doesn't like to find that perfect item? That treasure? I know I've been thrilled to go on a mission and actually find just what I was hoping for! (My shopping days have been suspended until further notice)
I've always been on the thrifty side. Kinda had to be. And I am okay with that. For me, finding true bargains at discount and second-hand stores is about as exciting as it gets and then there is a feeling of pride for how little was spent, etc. Really, it's that bargain-hunting gene I have in me.
Traipsing through endless second-hand stores is also great therapy (as long as you find SOMETHING!!) There's nothing quite like getting lost deep within the aisles and shelves steeped high with all manner of used treasures just waiting to be discovered for the second time.
Now, I don't mean to be critical of the Youtube woman, but while I was watching her video, I felt she was a bit extravagant and I thought how meaningless it all was. Maybe it was because at church, this past week, a woman who had gone on a mission trip to Africa, came and shared her experiences with us through a slide-show presentation. She told of the widow project she, as our conference's Women's Ministry leader, had helped start over there over the past few years. A couple months ago she got the opportunity to go over herself and last week she came to share with us.
In the Congo, where she went, there is a huge number of widows, young, old and in-between, that all became widowed the day rebel fighters came to their villages and killed hundreds of their men right in front of them. The women have suffered severely. The Women's Ministry leader started the widow project, which gave widows goats so they could sell their milk as well as make goat cheese to sell to help provide for their families. The Women's Ministry leader kept stressing, these women have nothing. Their life is a daily struggle to barely survive and keep their children alive. These women have nothing; we have so much, she repeated this a few times. When she came back home she just felt sick because of all she had.
As she spoke, her heart was still in the Congo, with the poor, suffering and very appreciative widows. She, along with many others, have invested in the lives of these women and their children and are making a real difference for them.
I think it would be a great experience if all of us could be transplanted into the shoes of women like these. If we could live the life they do...just for awhile. Maybe our hearts would grow to care and maybe we'd be more inclined to help the suffering in the world. It's so easy to forget in a country like America.
I think suddenly many of the "treasures" we seek here, would likely become nothing more than useless trinkets once we realized the value our treasure has when given to help lift up the poor and needy.
We don't have to go overseas, or even out of our own cities, to find people in need. I pray for a sensitivity to the needs of those around us as well as those around the world.
Comments
Post a Comment