Treasures

"… For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." — Matt. 6:21

Recently I found an old friend on the net. We've begun emailing and chatting via IM. Talking with my friend is a joy and brings a smile to my face. It is exciting to find that our lives (including our spiritual lives) have followed very similar paths, and we have much in common. Yet this friendship is also troublesome as I find myself increasingly uneasy in my heart. Why? Because our conversations show one very major difference in our lives: My friend is still close to the Lord, while I have allowed my bitterness and anger to push me away from the Lord.

As a result, for the first time in several years, I’ve found my heart drawn to the Bible and I've found myself taking time to pray. Not just shallow, empty words … but words from deep within my heart. God has been faithful and is dealing with me and healing the hurts and sins of my heart, while drawing me close to Him once again. He is also convicting me in many areas. One of those areas is about the excesses in my life. I keep telling God that I "need" these things, "enjoy" these things, and that "I" don't see anything wrong with these things; yet the Holy Spirit has not left me alone. Each day my eyes are opened a bit more to the excesses that I've allowed to fill my life. Today was such a day.

I was working in my craft room, clearing out things I don't plan on taking when we move, and suddenly I realized that this room was filled with so much stuff that there was no place to put the trash! The verse from Matthew that I quoted above flooded my brain and I was convicted deep in my heart as I realized that my heart was so filled with stuff, that there was no room for God. I apologized to God for not listening to Him, and asked Him to guide my clearing out. I began in earnest dumping things into either the trash box or the give-away box—never once thinking that I should keep this or that. I filled up my trash box three times, and with each trip to the garbage can my steps were lighter. The give-away box soon overflowed and became a second box, then a third plus 2 grocery bags.

The car trunk is now filled with things—good things that will hopefully find a new home and not be someone else's excesses. My craft room now has some working space, and tomorrow I can add to my growing collection of give-away items. Best of all, I cleaned some things out of my heart, and it now has space—space for God; and with His help, I will once again place my treasures and my heart where they belong.