Verse
Matthew 6:21
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Devotion
What does the word treasure mean to you?

Meriam-Webster defines the word treasure as wealth (such as money, jewels or precious metals stored up or hoarded). I’d like to challenge us to dig a little deeper….

When I was a child, I loved stories of buried treasure and the adventures one must go on to find jewels and gold. Looking back on those quests, they didn’t just get the buried treasure handed to them, right? NOPE, but wouldn’t that have been nice and easy! There were battles, storms and a lot of time in between to search for that treasure and find their way.

Personally, I’d like the treasure to be handed to me, wouldn’t you? I wouldn’t have to exhaust myself or get hurt, I would get exactly what I wanted. However, most of us know that isn’t  how life goes. And often on the way to the treasures of life, we hit many storms and obstacles. This is where God steps in.

March 11th, 2020 was our first ultrasound check-up. All of this was so new, exciting and hope-filled for us. We were expecting our first child! Unfortunately, my husband and I did not receive the earthly news we wanted to hear, there was no heartbeat for our little babe. The treasure we so badly wanted to see and meet here on this Earth wouldn’t come just yet.

Yes, this news wasn’t great and pretty terrifying actually. But, this little babe is dancing with Jesus right now in Heaven friends. It took me a while to feel this HOPE again, but we kept going. We stayed in God’s word, reached out to amazing family and friends and are PRAYING fiercely. I read the Bible to this little one every morning, this child ate some pretty amazing food, went across the country and even in the short time we had together was so loved by us! We cannot wait to meet our little treasure of ours one day!

Rewind to one year ago, I made a pact with God that I would read the Bible from the Old Testament through the New Testament. 2019 was a life changer for me and I am beyond grateful to have his word and encouragement to help me navigate through this time of uncertainty and pain in 2020. This is part of the story of how God was with me through the storm, and prepared me for the storm that I didn’t know was coming, even though we didn’t get the treasure we were hoping for.

There is this HOPE we long for. Treasures we seek. There are treasures in heaven that we can’t seem to grasp here on Earth. But we also get to treasure things now, while we wait as well: We all treasure things that God has made, whether you are in a season where you can see it or not. Whether it is a beautiful sunset, the best fishing spot to catch a large-mouth bass (yup totally talking about my husband right here) or a friend who offers compassion.

So be encouraged as you wait for the treasure you seek. God hasn’t left, he too is weathering this storm with us! Be encouraged. God sees YOU, hears YOU and loves YOU!