Trash

I watched as my almost two year old granddaughter toddled through my study. In her curiosity she looked at everything she passed. She came to a large box with a lid that once held reams of paper and now was labeled "Taxes 2012." She lifted the lid and saw the jumble of receipts and bills.

"Trash," she declared as she dropped the lid and moved on to something else.

I smiled as she left the room and reached over to adjust the lid on the box she had just identified as trash. I thought about how valuable the contents were to me. I had collected those papers throughout the year and was getting ready to use them in preparing my income tax return. They were of vital importance to me but meaningless trash to her.

Whether something is valuable or trash can often depend on the individual. It can depend on how important it is to us. It may not matter if it is important because it is useful or because it has some other meaning.

Sometimes trash can be turned into treasure. We have a cabinet that came from the farm. It had been used in the barn to store tools. We brought it home, cleaned it up, made some repairs, and put a coat of stain on it. It still does not look new but to us it is a prized possession. Not only is it useful but it also has a special meaning.

Occasionally we go through the house and remove things that have no use and have lost their meaning. We need to do that in our personal lives as well. We can accumulate stuff that take up space and have no meaning, or may even be harmful to us. Bad habits can start out as a good idea at the time and soon become a barrier to our spiritual growth. We need to look at the things we treasure and determine if they are good or trash.

Jesus said, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:20-21) He even gave us a test to apply to our treasure. "...where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal." (Matthew 6:20).

Years ago I realized that the only treasure we have here on earth that we will take with us into heaven are people who share our faith in Jesus. About the only thing I know that fits those conditions are the relationships I have with people, and with Jesus. I am glad that when Jesus looks at us He always says "treasure," He never says, "trash." I'm glad He, "...so love the world."

Bro. Robin