Treasure in Unlikely Places
19/11/2015 15:36
We’d returned after a few days away and it was time to settle back into our little nest. Surprisingly, I was on the ball. Before we turned in that night, I’d unpacked our bags, cleared the dishes, washed the dirty clothes and everything was back where they should be. Next morning, I hunted for my mp3 player. It would need re-charging. I looked in the top draw of my desk where it usually resides. It wasn’t there. Perhaps it was still in my bag? Hope reared it’s pretty head. So off I went to peer inside our large travel bag. But dear oh dear … it wasn’t there either. Puzzle puzzle. There was one more place I could try.
I’d placed our camera charger in the bottom draw of my desk. Had my mp3 player joined it? It had. Hooray! In case you haven’t realised it by now, my mp3 player is one of my prized possessions. It’s crammed full with music, sermons and audio books and provides me with spiritual sustenance. So yes, I was very glad to track it down.
Sometimes we need to look in unlikely places for a different type of commodity.
God’s grace, patience, friends, hope, significance.
God’s grace is found … NOT through a life of ease. It’s often discovered through trials, sickness and hardship. Have you experienced that?
Patience mostly finds its way into our lives through life’s vicissitudes. Ah! Be careful what you pray for then, won’t you? Would you like a helping of that?
Friends. There’ve been people I didn’t realise were kindred spirits ‘til I got to know them better. A good reminder then to spend time with those I’m not attracted to at first glance.
Hope. Where do I look for it? I find it in many likely places—God whispers, His Truth, the encouragement of friends. It enters the inner chambers of my heart when I remember all that God has done for me in the past. Hope needs to be kept at all costs. It must be found again if lost because it is a necessity in life’s battles. Sometimes, hope is found in unlikely places—like when I’m bruised and hurting and perplexed. In the giving up of my own agenda, I find it and God places it back in my hands.
Significance is not found in the usual spaces I hunt for it. Not in what I do. Not even in what I am. It’s found in Jesus. My Rock. My Hiding Place. My All in All.
There was a tough season in my life when the ground beneath my feet gave way. When the people I hoped in, let me down. When circumstances pushed me right out of my comfort zone. When I needed God badly. For many years, those tough circumstances continued to batter me, unabated. But my life was transformed from within. What made the difference? A Person. To my joy, I discovered that the same trials which broke my heart and caused me grief, also brought me the One Sure Treasure in Life. Jesus.
Are you being tossed about in life’s ocean? Are you perplexed as to where your little boat is taking you? When you set your GPS to lead you to your desired haven, it plunged you instead into rough seas and squally winds. You cried out to God—but He didn’t seem to have heard you. When darkness fell, you reeled in sad surprise. Although your boat was at last sailing on calmer waters, it was moving you away from your destination.
Fear not. Your GPS is not broken. You sought a place of security. Of comfort. Of hope. And that’s exactly where He’s taking you. Though your boat may be moving in alien waters, you can relax and rest. Don't forget that Treasure is often found in unlikely places. So cling on to your Captain… and sail on. When the day breaks, you will find your vessel has landed where His Treasure awaits you.
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
