Treasured Things

My Mom's Evening Bag
     During hurricane season, when we lived along the coast of South Carolina, I kept a few boxes handy filled with irreplaceable mementoes and pictures in case the Governor ordered us to evacuate. When hurricane season ended, I put these little treasures back on shelves where I could enjoy seeing them. Some of my treasured things included my childhood choir pins, baby pictures of my children, a small porcelain 80-90-year-old statue my mother gave my grandmother, one of our wedding pictures from 1977, my mother’s evening bag for dressy occasions, and a photo of my parents taken on one of their train trips to New York City in the 1940s.
     Not one of these sentimental things has any value over $20 I’m sure! Yet, when I look at them, they evoke tender, precious memories of loved ones and my childhood.   How do my simple treasures relate to our Heavenly Father?  In Deuteronomy 14:2 we read about God persistently teaching His detailed list of instructions to create the early culture of the Jewish people. Right in the middle of all these minute details about marriage, sacrifices, laws, and every aspect of life, Moses makes a rather startling statement to God’s Jewish people: “Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”  This is such an affectionate, powerful statement during a busy, task oriented “day at the office” attempting to organize 12 tribes of almost a million people.
My Church Choir Pins
     While we know that God fashioned the Jewish people and culture as His vessels to transmit His laws, scriptures, and ultimately His Beloved Son through them, we also know that God made an additional provision.  The Old Testament royally sets the table for us non-Jews (Gentiles) when we embrace the concept of our adoption in the New Testament. We are adopted into the tribe! We don’t replace His Jewish people, the people of His eternal covenant, but we do partake of the privilege of being grafted in to the ancient Olive tree of Judaism. Judaism is the root of our Christian DNA.
     While my sentimental treasures don’t have a high monetary value, God places a high value on us! I don’t even comprehend it quite honestly. Yet, when I  think of my small treasures, it does serve to remind me of how the Lord views us. We are so highly treasured by God the Father that He sent His beloved, one and only Son, to redeem us from the pawnshop of sin and darkness.  Whether we think of ourselves as treasures or not, that’s God’s viewpoint of us.  Difficult to comprehend, but oh so joyous when we glimpse the truth of God’s limitless, lavish love. We are HIS treasures.
     What are some of your treasures? When you think of them, remember YOU are a treasure in God’s eyes.
#YouAreTreasured

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Christmas Shepherds, Levitical Priests for Their Bethlehem Flocks

S hepherds and sheep hold a prominent place in the Bible. The most famous are the Christmas shepherds!   I s it possible that Mary birthed ...