Treasures in Heaven

Last summer my husband and I invested in an above ground pool for our backyard. It was nothing too fancy—only a small, above ground, supermarket special that we hoped would last a few years and be fun for our kids. After a season of fun in the sun, we drained the water and packed the pool up for safe storage in the shed. So, imagine our surprise when we rolled it out for this season and noticed three large holes!

Later, my husband found the culprit—a little mouse (still very much alive, I would like to mention…eek!) who had hidden inside the filter hose. During the winter, the little creature had done a lot of destruction by building a lovely nest out of our investment.

Even though my wonderful handyman husband was able to patch up the pool for this season, it still serves as a reminder that nothing here on Earth is guaranteed to last.

Mathew 6:19-21 says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Photo Credit: "Pearlescent" by Gracey at Morguefile.com

As a child, I struggled to grasp the concept of storing treasures in heaven. It’s still difficult to understand completely as an adult, but sadly I do know that bad things happen all the time—animals eat our carefully tended garden vegetables, people lose their jobs, storms and floods damage homes, thieves steal our possessions. Even our bodies wear out eventually. This is a depressing thought, but praise the Lord, we have something to look forward to someday. Earth is only our temporary home, but one day we will live eternally in heaven.

Recently, three wonderful mentors from my childhood passed away, only weeks apart from each other. While I grieve that they have left this world, I also rejoice that one day we will be reunited in heaven. In remembering them, I am also reminded of the way that they lived and why they inspired me. They were generous and lived to serve. They took time out of their day to greet a young, shy girl (me!) with a smile every Sunday and be a Godly example in her life. Wealth and recognition didn’t matter to them. They knew that the real treasure—the one stored in heaven—is our relationship with Jesus!

When we think about our lives and hardships here on Earth from an eternal standpoint, it changes everything. One day, we will have our eternal reward in heaven, so whatever wealth, resources and talents we have now are gifts—not to be squandered or hoarded selfishly for our own ambitions—but to be used to serve God. I once had someone tell me that their two main goals in life were to make it to heaven and to take as many people with them as they could. Wow! I want those goals to be mine, too, don’t you?

In memory of three wonderful sisters in Christ who are now enjoying
the treasures they stored in heaven.

~Wanda, Ladonna and Nina Fey~

Thank you for serving the Lord.
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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.