©Joy Dunlap https://joydunlap.com
Ever discovered treasure amidst chaos? We stroll into a thrift store or yard sale with crowded shelves and tables just to look around and then we spot a “made-for-us” item.
As newlyweds, my husband and I wandered into a yard sale after spending several hours at a festival. While strolling through the backyard, I spotted a Waterford crystal box in the midst of several other items on a pop-up table.
“Could it be?” I wondered.
Imagine my delight when I opened the box and found a set of glasses in our chosen wedding pattern for less than the price of one of the glasses.
That excitement quickly subsided when I realized we’d used all the cash we’d brought at the festival. After rummaging through my purse, I pulled out a roll of quarters (really!). The gracious homeowner accepted that unusual payment along with a small check and the Lismore-patterned crystal went home with us.
If we had rushed to our car and skipped the opportunity to explore the yard sale, we wouldn’t have experienced the find. What if I hadn’t opened the box to find our pattern of never-used sparkling crystal?
While we’re glad to have the glasses, the discovery – and the memory of it – holds its own value.
Unexpected treasure awaits us in the people and places we encounter every day. In the chaos of life, we sometimes overlook treasure waiting to be discovered in memories, encouragement and connection. A sense of awareness and expectant attitude allow us to more readily discover what delight God has in store for us.
Bubbles float through the air as a young child creates them. In them, we laugh at the child’s delight, remember our childhood antics, and recall the joy found in play.
The musical call of a popsicle truck fills the air. Remember the rush to respond? Hot day coolness came with the refreshing taste of an orange push-up, the bomb or the banana popsicle on our tongues. Gathering at the truck, we shared community as children, and today, those musical tones summon a memory.
An email from a friend from the past pops up on our screen. The enjoyment of shared experiences replays in our minds as we journey back in time, then pick up the friendship anew.
A flower blooms late in summer; its bright color imprints the landscape. In it, we see a sign of new growth even when blooming time seems to have passed.
A kind compliment or warm greeting is spoken by a stranger. Who connects us is greater than what seeks to divide us. When we hold on to that knowledge and spread it, we share a treasure that brightens hearts with hope.
The Bible holds treasure too: truths helpful to us in life, stories of early Christian life, and the revelation of Jesus as Savior. If we don’t take time to explore it, we’ll miss out on individual discoveries and the treasure available in God’s promises and principles.
When someone else tells us what they’ve discovered, it has less emotion, less power, less richness than when we experience it ourselves. In reading the Bible, we can unwrap the treasure for ourselves and discover the value He’s placed there for us.
God cares for us personally and He wants us to know Him! He offers us delight in His Word and in His Son Jesus as well as through nature, other people and our God-given passions and pursuits.
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. Isaiah 45:3 NIV
- What unexpected treasure (tangible and intangible) have you discovered in the past?
- What treasured words from the Bible have special meaning for you?
- What did you see or hear this week that made you rejoice in the moment?
- What do your family and friends think you value?
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3 NIV
Remember…Life is Better When It’s Full – Joy-full, Thank-full, Purpose-full and Friend-full! ™