Matthew 6:21 (NIV)
The hail slammed into the windshield of my husband's truck with the force of a sledgehammer. Carrying on a conversation as we drove through the storm would have been extremely hard but conversation was unnecessary. The phone call we had received minutes earlier was heart-stopping:
“A tornado directly hit Don and Barb's house. We don't know if they are okay or not.” We ran to our truck and raced to their home, praying silently that the news was wrong. It was not. Nor were we prepared for what we saw.
The two-story home – once viewed as a showplace for anyone driving by – was missing the entire north side. The giant fist of the tornado had ripped the wall away, but had chosen to leave a baby bed in a second-floor bedroom with its sheets tucked in without a wrinkle. Glass was splintered everywhere, with huge shards sticking out of trees mercilessly ripped from the ground and tossed against the house. Metal was twisted in every shape imaginable and hurled into the yard and field around the home, along with the belongings of this precious family.
As we rushed through what was once the front door of their home, tears followed relief as we heard the voices of our friends in the basement, talking with neighbors who had arrived before us. I hugged Barbara and whispered "I am so relieved you are okay but everything you own . . . it's destroyed! I am so sorry!" Her reply to me was spoken with a confidence and peace that only the Lord can give: "Things and stuff, Nancy. That's all this is. Things and stuff. We are both okay. God protected us. We are very thankful."
What a beautiful response to a catastrophe that would certainly shake the foundation for most of us. Was Barbara in shock at what had happened? Of course. Was she broken-hearted at what had been lost? Sure. She knew that some of the things could be replaced . . . many could not. But her focus was not on everything around her . . . the "things and stuff." Instead she focused on the fact that God had protected her and her husband through a horrific storm.
In the middle of a big loss was an even bigger truth: God is in control. Our home and everything we own on earth is temporary. There is no guarantee that everything we have today will be here tomorrow or even that WE will be here tomorrow. Barbara's treasure was not here on earth. Her heart - though sad at the loss - did not focus on the lost but on the saved: she and her husband. Their faith came from a deep relationship with Jesus, not a superficial trust in "things and stuff."
What is your heart focused on today? It's pretty certain that your treasure can be found there, too. As Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I encourage you today to focus on Jesus and give Him your heart. And in exchange, He will give you trust and peace that have nothing to do with "things and stuff."
Father, forgive me when I focus on the "things and stuff" of this life, and forget how blessed I am by what You did for me on the cross. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
R.A.P. it up . . .
Reflect
Think back to a situation when you experienced a major loss of something you owned.
How did you respond? Anger? A need to replace it all no matter what? Or did you praise the Lord for His goodness in the middle of the loss?
Apply
Make a list of the "things and stuff" that you consider to be valuable to you.
Beside each item on the list, record a Scripture verse that helps you to focus on the eternal instead.
Power
Matthew 6:21 (NIV) “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Mark 8:36 (NIV) “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?”
Luke 16:13 (NIV) "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
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