Where do you store your treasures? (Writer's Opinion)

By Carol Round, Special to ASSIST News Service

CLAREMORE, OK (ANS – March 13, 2016) -- “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”— Matthew 6:19-21 (NRSV).

While cleaning up small limbs scattered in my backyard by gusty winds, I also gathered several pods that had fallen off my Wisteria vine last fall. The pods reminded me of how my grandchildren collect rocks and other natural objects to save in their treasure boxes. I chuckled, recalling an incident involving my youngest grandson, Cash, and his mother, Lindsey.

One day, after spending time at my house, she found Cash’s pockets stuffed with several Wisteria pods from my yard. When Lindsey tried to dissuade him from hauling them home, he said, “I’m going to save them.”

When she quizzed him about his intentions he said, “I want to plant them and see if they will grow.”

Although she tried to tell him they probably wouldn’t, Cash could not be persuaded to leave his treasures behind. I’ve never asked what happened to the pods.

We’ve all heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” While an Internet search revealed several origins for this expression, one source says the phrase seems to have taken off since the 1960s. Is that because we became a more consumer-based society around that time?

Have you ever spotted a piece of furniture or other large item with a “Free” sign posted on it in front of someone’s house? In my neighborhood, I’ve seen those items disappear before the trash was picked up, leading me to believe that someone had taken them home.

While “repurposing,” as it is called today, is a good thing, it makes me wonder why we have so much stuff. I’m guilty. Each time I’ve moved, I’ve purged my house before putting it on the market. I’ve given away things to friends, donated some, sold some and trashed the rest. I always ask myself, “How did I accumulate so much stuff?”

A bigger question to consider from the above verses is, “Where is our heart?” When we study the Sermon on the Mount, of which Matthew 6:19-21 is a part, we are challenged to really think through this question. What is more important to us? Is it the accumulation of things to satisfy our selfish desires or is it a real, vibrant relationship with God?

Recently, someone said to me, “I’m too prideful. I want my yard to look better than my neighbor’s so I expend a lot of effort and money trying to keep it looking nice.”

How many of us place priorities on accumulating or having nice things to earn man’s praise instead of glorifying God? In the verse above, Jesus addresses this directly when he says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Ask yourself, “Where is my treasure?” That’s where you’ll find your heart.

Photo captions: 1) Store your treasures in heaven (Illustration: Daily Hope with Rick Warren). 2) Carol Round.

Note: I always love hearing from my readers. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts at carolaround@yahoo.com . You can also visit my blog at www.carolaround.com.