God’s Kind of Treasure

Living in the country, you see all types of abandoned things: old barns leaning sideways, grain bins with trees growing through open spaces in their roofing, and dilapidated farm houses that once had the light and laughter of life inside their walls.

Close to my country home there sits an old house abandoned many years ago. Once a bustling dairy farm, it had cows grazing in the back pasture, children playing in the yard, and farm fresh milk for the taking. Today, it has been left to sink in upon itself, its only offering a few stained-glass windows covered in layers of dust, their bright colors long gone, and a tarnished chandelier hanging from the dining room ceiling. Beyond those antiquated finds there is nothing worth saving. Why, then, does a dog stand watch every night, barking annoyingly at the occasional deer walking through the property?  What could the property owner be protecting? Where is the treasure worth keeping?

Have you ever guarded something that you came to realize wasn’t worth the effort it took to protect it? Maybe it’s a habit, or a possession. Over time, though, that thing lost its luster. This is what happens to earthly things, but not the lasting treasures that God gives:

And He will be the security and stability of your times, A treasure of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is your treasure.  Isaiah 33:6

It has been said that a junk yard is really a place that holds the rusted, broken dreams that were once someone’s treasured things, often attained through hard work and sacrifice.  Each one has to decide who or what they will treasure, but the image of a junk yard full of ruin or a forgotten old farmhouse, can bring clarity to what really matters. Where is your treasure?