Empty Things

 

What do these three things have in common?  They are all treasure boxes of differing types.  The smallest one on the left was the box that held my wedding band, pretty important in the big scheme of things.  The middle one holds a collection of different coins, some from here in the US and some from my various travels to other countries.  Not quite as valuable as the ring box but still valuable none-the-less.  And finally the one on the right is a jewelry box that was my mom's.  I have had it for years and in it is a collection of many memories of my life that I hold dear.  Monetarily not worth much but emotionally very valuable.  

All of these boxes are treasure boxes.  But, they hold nothing of real, eternal value.  They are all "things" of this life.  And someday they will be items to be tossed away or cashed in or perhaps held onto by my kids.  Hard to say.  

This morning as I was reading my Bible I came across a passage in I Samuel that I don't think I ever really noticed before.  Samuel is speaking to the children of Israel following their decision to make Saul their first king.  I Samuel 12: 20-22 "And Samuel said to the people, 'Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.  Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself."  The people of Israel had put their faith into an earthly king, an empty thing that could neither profit or deliver them.

Jesus also spoke about "treasure boxes."  Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So, I thought a lot about this today as I was going through my day.  Where are my treasures?  Are they empty things or are they eternal things?  What do I invest my time in the most?  Empty things or eternal things?  Boy, that was a really hard conversation to have with myself.  The conclusion that I came to is that I have spent far too long worrying about earthly treasure boxes such as relationships, career, and possessions and not enough time on Kingdom things like worshiping God with all my heart, soul and spirit and loving my neighbor as I love myself.  

Going forward I want to be more Kingdom minded and less empty things minded.  Because at the end of my life what really matters is what I have done for Christ and His Kingdom.  

Honor Your Father and Mother

 

This afternoon while I was out for my walk I was listening to a podcast as I typically do.  This particular one really made me stop and think of things in a whole different way.  It made me think of Mom and Dad and our family as well as other families and their situations.

This particular pastor was talking about Jesus on the cross and how the very last human act that He did was to provide for his widowed mother.  Even amidst all of His pain and utter weariness, Jesus loved His mother and made sure that she was cared for.  I honestly had never really thought about it.  I knew that He had pointed her to John and John to her but I never thought about how even in His most desperate moment His thoughts were toward the one who gave Him life.  He showed us how we are to love and to honor.

In Exodus 20:12 it says "Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." I think sometimes it is easy to just dismiss what this means.  I know in our family that we were really blessed with wonderful, caring parents that sacrificed a lot for each one of us.  And yet there were times where I know I was not always honoring to them.  In fact, there were times where my behavior was downright disrespectful.  Yet, they loved me.

I also know that there are situations where some parents have not seemed to be worthy of being honored.  Perhaps they were really bad people.  How then are the children to honor them?  This is a hard question.  Maybe, just considering the fact that they gave you life would be enough.  I don't know.  I just know that we as Christians are commanded to do this.  There is no wiggle room here.  

As a parent myself, I wonder how my children feel about me?  I certainly have not always been the best parent.  I let them down in some pretty big ways over the years.  And while I have tried to make up for that in recent times, I am sure the hurt that was felt goes pretty deep.  I pray that God gives me time to truly show them the love that they deserved. 

Each one of us can reflect back on our parents whether living or dead and think of things that we could have done better.  I know I can.  I know that I should have taken more time to spend with them.  I should have been more patient with them when their health issues made them a little bit edgy. I should have listened more and talked less.  I should have found ways to ease their minds when life got harder for them.  I cannot change what was.  But, I can look at those folks around me that I can pour myself into now.  I can find more time to spend with my family and friends.  I can be patient with those who are not feeling healthy.  I can listen more and talk less.  And I can find ways to ease the minds of those who are finding life difficult.

Maybe, just maybe if I do that, I truly will honor Mom and Dad.  And maybe, just maybe, I will be loving a little bit more like Jesus.