Not So Hidden Treasure


 

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows. James 1:17

 
Earlier today I read a message about how God goes before us in life, planting little bits of joy, little treasures for us to find. That reminded me of my husband and my grandchildren, not for the obvious reason.

My husband makes jewelry, beautiful jewelry created with precious and semi-precious gemstones. The stones he uses aren’t purchased. They are found. What he does purchase is dirt, dirt that he then sifts through to find the gems.
The first time he did it at home our grandson Joey helped him. Joey was about four at that the time and would often miss something that was actually valuable. Pop-Pop patiently showed Joey how to slow down and consider each rock. Soon Joey was finding all kinds of things.

Last night our grandson Samuel was showing me all the wonderful riches he’d found while going through a bucket of dirt with his grandfather. He was thrilled. What at first appeared to be a bucket of sand quickly turned into a little boy’s dream of buried treasure.
My husband didn’t plant the gems in the bucket, as God plants blessing for us but the analogy is still pretty sound. The gems are buried in literal dirt and when someone takes the time to unearth them the result is a feeling of delight.

Today, any day, may feel like a bucket of dirt. It may seem dreary, ugly, cold or difficult but our Father promises us that every day, even the very worst of days holds some gift, some treasure, some precious example of his love for us. All we have to do is pay attention and look for it. The best part is that most days hold many little bits of joy, many treasures, subtly but lovingly placed in our lives by the hand of the One who loves us beyond understanding.
It may be a cliché to stop and smell the roses but do it anyway, slow down, look around. God’s hand is in each of our lives. He rains blessings on us day after day after day. I hate to think how many I’ve missed because my focus was in the wrong place. Still I am so grateful that even when I miss or ignore his gifts, our loving Father just keeps giving.  

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