
Morning Evening
Matthew 6:19-21:
"‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
This passage struck me between the eyes as soon as I read it. I immediately thought of this pandemic and all the things I "store up" that are gone or even useless now (obviously toilet paper is not one of them!). But in all seriousness, my "treasures" are not so much possessions as much as they are ways of doing things, especially the things I enjoy. I'm unable to do so many of them now - from eating out at my favorite restaurants to getting together with friends for coffee to leading the Eucharistic at church to traveling with my family - I have been stripped of these joys, as we all have. And it feels like this virus is a thief that has broken in and stolen these treasures from me.
But then I realize that some of my deepest treasures.... prayer, my relationship with God, and my love for my family and church can never be stolen or taken away. I realize that ministry can be done without a building. I can love and serve others even at a distance. My prayer life and relationship with God are just as vital, if not more, as they ever were.
So it may be time to rethink what I treasure - and recognize that in a world of incredible change, uncertainty, and loss, my heart can find rest and treasure that can never, ever be consumed or stolen.
What do you treasure most deeply?
~Rebecca+