Treasures

Last week we were concerned about our son and family in North Carolina facing the hurricane. Fortunately, they suffered no damage from the storm, though they were waiting to see what the storm surge brought up the river today. Hurricane Dorian certainly brought terrible devastation to the Bahama Islands, leaving nothing untouched there, it seems.

Locals told my daughter-in-law to store valued items in watertight containers so they were ready for a storm at anytime. Some things are hard to replace while others need to be replaced periodically.

John has been repainting our outdoor furniture before he puts it back on the freshly stained deck. The cast iron table and chairs looked rather gray after many years of use. But they were still strong and sturdy for sitting.

As we get older I think about what really matters and realize I have a lot of "stuff" that doesn't have value to me any more. I need to get rid of it because I know it has even less value to my sons! Several trips to the donation center will take care of a lot of it. Some items have sentimental value yet others can be released without any pain at all. There are two large boxes that contain photographs and family memorabilia that will stay.

"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," (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV).

What a good reminder! Life gets busy sometimes and we let our "stuff" accumulate. There comes a time to start simplifying our life and our treasures. What really has value is in Jesus' hands. Knowing that, I think I can start thinning things down in our house. And what better time than the present?