“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21, NIV.
Many of you know that I recently downsized from my home of the last twenty-one years. Throughout the process, I purged from attic spaces, closets, and drawer’s items belonging not only to me but also “treasures” that had once belonged to my parents and my late husband’s parents. You can probably relate if you are over the age of fifty.
“Your email is almost full. Buy more storage here.” When this message appeared on my computer screen informing me of my email dilemma, the suggested option offered by the unseen technology wizard behind the curtain was only to “buy more storage.” When I investigated how many emails I had collected over who knows what length of time, there were…well, let’s just say, a lot! Since I have been purging everything else in my material world, I thought, there must be another option other than buying more storage. (A parenthetical reminder popped into my head from a couple of years ago when I discovered I had been paying for a storage unit in town that I did not even remember renting. When I went through the boxes, much of what I had once thought too valuable to let go, now had little importance; however, this reality did not eliminate the consequence of the monetary cost that ensued.) So, starting with the oldest listed email in my computer inbox, I began deleting page after page. Oh, it felt so good “emptying the trash” of unnecessary data that clogged up space and now can be used for more meaningful purposes.
One day, I will say goodbye to this world and all the things in it, and so will you. When we stand before Jesus, what will translate from our time on earth into an offering worthy of the One who died that we might live eternally? Friend, I submit whatever the offering is, the only “storage unit” required both here on earth and in heaven is the heart.
Where is your treasure stored, and what is it?