Where Thieves Break In And Steal

Yesterday, I learned one of the teachings I recently taught in a very personal way.   My Mom had taken Andie and I to the mall. Andie had received a gift card for her birthday that was needing to be used. Andie, who is 8 years old, is not an easy child to dress. She wants it to be cute, but comfortable. Not always a combination that comes together. We finally found her a dress that she thought she would wear. I thought, finally, maybe a Sunday morning without drama. My poor mother was responsible for carrying the bags, as I've been struggling with a herniated disk in which I'm to have surgery next week. We didn't have very many things, just a couple of bags filled with bottles of soaps and makeup. We couldn't resist the 4 for $15 deal at Bath and Body and of course the free gift deal at the make-up counter. We stopped into a couple of stores and then decided we are going to make our last stop the children's shoe department to find a pair of spring/summer sandals. Again, dealing with mission impossible, cute and comfortable!!  I reach down to pick up the bag with the cute and comfortable dress only to find it missing. I asked my Mom if she had it and she said that it was with the other bags. Well, we soon learn the bag with the cute and comfortable dress is missing. My Mom retracks our steps only to come back empty handed. I call the store in which we purchased the bag to let them know if someone returns it to please give me a call.

As we were lamenting our lost dress, now convinced that someone must have taken it, I thought of the lesson I recently had taught on making Jesus our treasure. You see, I was finding out how much my heart was finding satisfaction in that dress. Not only in the dress, but in my daughter's satisfaction and happiness. Would the loss of the dress ruin my day, steal my joy or even make me angry? My mind remembered the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where theives 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." I was faced with whether this was something I just taught or if this was truly what I believed. There is a difference.  How much value do I place on worldly possessions? Is Christ really my treasure? This test, and it was a test, was searching my heart to see how much satisfaction I derived from a simple possession. It wasn't much, but it certainly had my heart for a second. Convicting!!  As I have thought on this and repented of putting my satisfaction in something that a moth or thief could steal, I thought how different Jesus is as our treasure. It doesn't matter if a plague of moths come upon us, the environment causes an overwhelming torrent of rust or a group of master theives break in and steal all of our possessions, we, who have received Christ Jesus as our treasure, have an imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance in heaven. (1 Peter 1:4) Not only that, but this treasure, (I love this part) is being guarded by God's power. My Mom and I were so disappointed in ourselves for not taking care of the possessions we were carrying. We thought we should've put them all in one big bag, instead of trying to carry them separately. In hindsight it was so foolish. Yet, 1 Peter 1:4-5 tells us that God's power guards our inheritance in Christ. His power supercedes our foolish mistakes and even our greatest sin. If there is anything that should replace our joy and fill us up to the fullness more than any worldly possession could ever think of doing, it is reminding ourselves of the inheritance we have in Christ, with Christ, that is protected by God's divine power. So, I ask myself, Where is my heart? "For where your treasure is there your heart will be also."