God’s Treasures: Gems in the Ordinary
Discovering God’s treasures at various points in our lives can lead us to deeper fulfillment and understanding. Carol shares one of her experiences.
How have you seen one of God’s treasures? Share your comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Rain Drops and Misty Clouds
Rain drops danced across the car’s windshield with varied intensity. At times the wispy clouds clung to tree tops or even reached down to brush the grass. Suddenly through the mists old buildings appeared. They leaned precariously showing years of disuse and neglect. The world around us hid from view and then loomed, sometimes ominously close. It was as if we travelled through spaces shrouded in mystery.
Miles from home the rain ceased and misty clouds rose higher in the sky, giving more visibility. I marveled at the layers of clouds swirling overhead with occasional light grey patches as the sun attempted, unsuccessfully, to break through their barrier.
One of God’s Treasures
I pulled to the shoulder of the road for a stretch break and snapped a few photos to help me remember the diversity of the cloud laden sky. I surveyed the prairie landscape with its bits of fall colour. Cattle grazed in the fields unconcerned about the traffic of the highway. Crops waited for dryer weather in order to be harvested.
This gloomy day held a beauty of its own when I stopped to really take a closer look at everything I saw. Then I glanced down. Growing at the edge of the pavement stood a short stalk topped with the vibrant yellow of a sunflower. It swayed in the breeze as if to catch my attention. This glimpse of brightness in an unexpected spot brought a smile to my face and questions to my mind. How had it come to grow here? Why was it so short? Why was it one plant all by itself and growing in less than ideal conditions? I had no answers so I simply enjoyed this little gem – one of God’s treasures.
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Gems in the Ordinary
Throughout this road trip with my oldest daughter, Lorilee, we continued to search for these gems in the ordinary. We saw things that gave us a chuckle like deer grazing at the edge of a small town cemetery. We stopped to take a photo in the rain of these deer acting like the town’s lawn moving service. They were a bit skittish but soon returned to munching the rain drenched grass as if we were not interrupting their lunch.
I had a choice as I drove for hours in the rain and gloom of a cloudy day. I could grumble and long for the sun to break through and bathe the landscape in brightness or I could search for God’s little treasures. I chose to enjoy each moment even when I occasionally longed for dry roads and bright skies. By doing this I found stories forming in my mind about the mystery hidden by the mist hugging the earth. I enjoyed the happy yellow sunflower dancing in the breeze despite its short stature and difficult growing conditions. We laughed at the deer and even found a few small parks to enjoy during breaks in the rain.
Places We Never Planned
When the sun finally came out several days later, I loved how it turned fall’s yellow leaves to a golden hue and thought of the beauty of different seasons, weather and places. Our lives have different seasons and gloom might hang out on occasion. We can find ourselves in places we never planned to be and puzzle pieces seem to be hidden by the mists of adversity and pain.
Yet I think about this trip and its gems in the ordinary when I chose to look for them and I wonder how many times I have missed these in my life when those mists of adversity roll in. I have to make a choice every day to ask God to help me find his treasures even when it looks like there are no gems to find.
God’s Treasures and His Care
Matthew chapter 6 has some verses that can help us remember things about God’s treasures and his care.
Verse 19 – 21 says
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where is my treasure? What do I hold on to everyday, even in the stormy ones? But in Matthew it goes on to give us hope for our worries.
Verses 25 – 34
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not lie more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenlyFather feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes: See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith So do not worry saying, What shallwe eat: or What shall we drink: or what shall we ear: for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
The little sunflower, short by standards of sunflowers still danced in the breeze despite the difficulties and I can search the gloominess for God’s treasures – those gems in the ordinary. What gems have discovered?
Carol Harrison
Listen to Carol’s program Puzzle Pieces Of Life.
Carol Harrison B.Ed is a speaker and published author with one book, Amee’s Story and stories in twelve anthologies. She is passionate about helping people of all ages and ability levels find their voice and reach their fullest potential.
She knows, through personal experience that some of life’s experiences are tougher than others. She encourages people that even in the twists and turns of life God’s amazing grace provides hope. She lives in Saskatoon, SK with her husband Brian. They have four adult children and a dozen grandchildren.
Visit Carol’s website carolscorner.ca
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Images Credits
Gems – byrev
Deer – renique
Road – StockSnap
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