There is a story in the New Testament
about a man who finds hidden treasure in a field and
immediately goes and sells everything he has so he can
purchase the land that contains the treasure.
Questions come to my mind:
Why didn't he just take the treasure? Why would he
take the time to bury it again and then sell everything
to get it? Why couldn't he keep his possessions and
get the treasure too? And what did the treasure think
after seeing the sun then being buried again?
Did it realize or understand that the man was coming
back to free it for good, or was it tempted to bury
itself deeper in the ground?
Maybe the answer lies not
so much with the man but with the treasure.
Would the treasure know its true importance
and worth if it was simply "added"
to an already existing collection and not
purchased outright?
What God has offered
to us is worth a great price-but not any
greater than the price He paid to buy us!
God will not ask us to do anything that
He has not already done. So as we are
called to be the man in this story-to go
and give away everything and do all that
it takes, to share the Good News and
spread the kingdom of God, we are not
to forget that we are also that hidden
treasure-and we have been purchased at
a great, great price.
I know you have been
beaten down many times. In this day and age,
how long you have lived is not a requirement
to experience disappointment, shame and ridicule.
Children are being bullied at school, not to
mention whatever emotional/physical violence
might be going on inside the home and what
they see on TV. It doesn't seem to get better
as we grow older: failed marriages, job loss,
death of friends, discouraging news reports,
worldwide hunger, sickness and pain.
The treasure indeed seems to be buried under
all this negativity and angst.
I know. I know the pain
of being misunderstood; unfairly attacked; a
failed marriage, loss of job, verbally and
emotionally abused. I say this not to brag-and
I am not looking for sympathy. I tell you this
so you know that I am not dealing with this from
some safe, lofty position way up in the sky; I
am down in the trenches like everyone else.
As I write this I have just found out that I
have failed the Bar Exam for the third time in
13 years, and therefore still cannot practice
law as a licensed attorney. I've been out of
work for 18 months. I've spoken to headhunters
and sent my resume to hundreds of companies; not
even a nibble. As a 38-year-old woman, I've had
to move back into my parents' home because my
money has run out. It seems I can't even do a
simple thing like stay on a diet for longer than
a few weeks without going berserk and eating a
"thickburger" from Hardees. One of my
best friends has suddenly withdrawn, and another
friend died unexpectedly a short time ago. I know
there are people who are suffering much more than
I am suffering, but when you are in pain, there
should be no time wasted in weighing who has the
greater amount. Pain is pain-whether your dog has
died or you get a paper cut on your little finger
or your spouse suddenly announces they are leaving
or you open your door to see two military officers
coming to tell you your child is dead. This is not a
contest to see who has the greatest cross-because when
you are the one carrying it, it seems that nothing in
the world could be heavier.
I'm a good person. I'm not perfect,
but I'm not totally horrible. I attend church and try to
the best of my ability to stay on the right path. And yes,
I'm sure there's more I can do to change my situation.
I've read all the books, and I've made list after list
of what I should do next; but I have come to understand
that there's got to be more than Dr. Phil and Oprah to
get me through this journey alive. Dr. Phil doesn't even
know I exist-how can I believe him when he looks in the
camera and says, "You're worth it."? What has
he done for me personally?
But then I read the story of the
hidden treasure, and I see that there is indeed someone
who knows me and says, "you're worth it, Danielle"!
And this isn't someone who sees only the good side; No,
He has access to all my tapes and files! He's sees the
beautiful picture I paint for the public, and the ugly,
nasty scene I carry deep inside me. He knows that the
words of encouragement that flow so easily from my mouth
when speaking to others take no root when I try to apply
them to myself. He understands that the smile frozen on
my face is nothing more than a mask that has been there
so long that when I take it off, I sometimes don't recognize
the face in the mirror. He knows the mistakes I've made,
the people I have unintentionally (and intentionally) hurt,
the bad turns I've taken and the secrets that I try to
keep from myself…And He loves me anyway! Knowing all
the good and the bad, He went ahead and paid that price
for me; He gave all that He had so that there could be
no question of having enough to buy me. I was that expensive!
And so, I say to you dear friend
and sibling in Christ, that even in the midst of your
pain and in spite of what the enemy has tried to convince
you, God still stands by His purchase of you! He has no
regrets of giving all He had in order to get you-free
and clear. During this Easter Season, remember and
believe: You are that treasure-and you are worth every penny!
