Where is Your Treasure?

During the wildfires last month, there was one point at which my house was just a half-mile from the level one evacuation zone. Honestly, we were pretty sure we weren’t in any danger of being evacuated, but it made me think.

At my dad’s suggestion, I actually packed a bag with a few things, just in case we needed to evacuate while I wasn’t home. Then, I sat on my bed and looked around my room, wondering if there was anything dear enough to want to pack, just in case. I have always imagined that I would be like Mrs. Beaver in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe if ever I had to evacuate my home, but to my surprise, as much as I value the stuff I own, I ended up only packing one thing.

It was a little blue Gideons New Testament which had been given to my grandmother by a singing group when she was young. As I tucked it surreptitiously into my bag, I felt a bit silly.

To be honest, I felt silly even packing a bag, and I felt sure that putting that one last keepsake in was proof that I was taking the whole thing far too seriously, but my practical side came to my rescue with the reminder that it never hurts to be prepared.

It's not that I didn’t have things that were important to me; I happen to love old books (the older the better) and I have numerous keepsakes and relics of our family’s history. And then there’s my little collection of dishes, but I didn’t even bother to think about taking those!

 But all those things, though valuable to me, didn’t rank very high in the grand scheme of things. That one little piece of our physical and spiritual heritage, however, seemed like the right thing to take. Even if all else were destroyed, I would have that tangible link to the generations before.

In that moment, as I looked around, trying to figure out if there was anything else I should take, I was reminded of the verse from Matthew: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (5:21)

Sitting there, gazing at all my stuff, I was challenged to think about what my true treasure was. If I lost everything, would I be able to be satisfied with Christ alone? It was a good reminder to do as Colossians 3:2 says: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

So how about you? Where’s your treasure at today?