Matthew 6:19-21 Day 1

When I was a little girl I had to work along side African Americans in the fields of Virginia. They were hired hands and I was a foster child – free labor to be exact! We would spend hours bent over the ground in the hot beating sun. To pass the time away I would often fantasize about all the things I saw in the Sears and Roebuck catalogue – especially the dishes. “Some day I’m going to have beautiful china,” I said. “I’m going to save my money and that’s what I’m going to have!”
“Honey child,” Samantha said to me, “you best worry about putting food on the table and forget those notions of having pretty china. Food tastes just as good on an old ugly plate as it does on a pretty thing. It’s a waste of money.”
“Is not,” I said defiantly. “I am going to have something pretty at my table.”
“Well stubborn as you is” Samantha said, “you just probably will.” The adults laughed at me and we went back to picking beans.
I am all grown up now and I have my lovely china. It is country roses by Royal Albert. Gorgeous white plates trimmed in roses and encircled with gold. They are magnificent. Almost all of them were gifts from my husband and children.
I’m proud of those plates and we use them often. In the winter we drink tea from the dainty little mugs at night right before we settle in. We use them whenever we entertain. I’m not afraid they will get broken – I love to share them.
They probably mean so much to me because even more than their beauty, they represent a break away from a hard and painful childhood. They are a symbol of a new life filled with abundance and joy.
However, sometimes they remind me of my fondness for THINGS. Especially after I had spent three weeks in the slums of India. I was served with honor on the only tin plate one of the hosts families had. Some days it seems frivolous and wasteful to own such costly china.
Jesus says, do not store up for yourselves treasures where moth and dust corrupt. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Phew! That hits me right between the eyes. Oh yes, I can rationalize and say, I deserve these or they were gifts or they are such a tool for sharing. While there may be nothing immoral about china, what is Jesus saying to me about possessions? I would be lying if I said I can easily give them up for Jesus’ sake. We keep trying to convince ourselves that things make us happy.
I read a statistic the other day that said the building of new storage units have increased thirty percent in the last two years! Are we really living in a recession? What does it mean when we have more stuff than we can hold in our homes?
It is good sometimes to take an inventory of our lives and see where our treasures lie.

Reflection and Journaling
1. Challenge: What are the treasures in your life? Do they bring glory to God?
Can you find yourself in the story? What is the “china” in your life?

2. Blessing: Make a list of the gifts around you. Name them and offer thanks to God for each one. How can you use them to bless others?

Prayer:
Generous God, forgive me when I allow things to become more important than You. Open my eyes to ways in which I live selfishly and turn me in a new direction. Create in me a generous spirit and fill me with gratitude for the blessings in my life. Show me how to use what I possess for the growth of your kingdom here on earth. As you wrap your loving arms around me, stir my heart to make You the treasure of my life. In the name of Jesus who blessed the poor, Amen.