Treasure

I remember crawling through the stuffy, dusty tunnels of booby-trapped jungle temples, amidst ancient idols and artifacts, and through hanging webs.  Really, I was crawling under my bed, amidst lost toys and dust bunnies, and through draping bed sheets.  I was seven.   Under a bed is not nearly as suitable a place for an aspiring archaeologist adventurer as an ancient jungle shrine complete with shrieking monkeys, dangling vines, rolling boulders, and danger lurking around every corner.  I think every little boy that watched Indiana Jones imagined the adventure of being an archaeologist.  In actuality, there is a lot less guns, Nazis, flying darts, women in peril, and invisible bridges in true archaeology.  But it’s near impossible for a child to think about treasure, and not associate it with adventure and mystery, isn’t it?  I think the reason we are compelled by stories of explorers and pirates seeking out treasures is because the adventure is just as valuable as whatever is hidden six feet below the x.  Adventure is part of the treasure…it’s a package deal! 

At some point in life most of us stop crawling under furniture in search of adventure and untold treasures.   We hang up the fedora and the whip and turn in our treasure hunting for treasure making.  We give up adventure for security, mystery for comfort.  Adventure is good…enjoyed from the coziness of our couches with plenty of popcorn in hand.  We just don’t want the uneasiness of living it ourselves.

I think Jesus was an adventurer.  He left the comfort of Heaven to come to dusty earth, gathering a few adventurers to trek with him.  He was the living word, pointing towards the Father—our hope and our treasure.  He warned not to store up treasure here on earth where moth and rust destroy—these present comforts will not last—but to store up treasures in heaven.  There is no treasure on this planet that won’t one day be sitting in a junk yard.  Relationships are the only thing eternal.  As we bring the truth of Christ to the people around us, we are opened to unfathomable adventure.  We get to become part of their journey towards God—the treasure their hearts ache for.  As they accept Christ, we are storing treasure in heaven—eternal souls united to Christ.    God and his kingdom is our treasure, and the adventure is sharing Him, and trekking the journey of discipleship.  Will you be a seeker of eternal treasures, or the maker of temporary trinkets?