“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin 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
We just got back from a much-needed vacation where I learned a very important lesson from my pup. As we were packing up to leave home, he was curious and a little overwhelmed by all the “stuff” strewn everywhere. Ok, I admit, he was curious and I was overwhelmed. By the time we were packed up and ready to go, it was a controlled excitement on his part. It didn’t seem to be so much about where he was going, but about making sure we didn’t leave without him!
This wasn’t the first trip he’s made with us, so I was fairly confidant that he’d do just fine. We tend to put human emotions on animals. Is he going to be comfortable and adjust to the new environment? When we got to the house where we were staying, I realized there was no reason to worry. He did what I should come to expect from him. He treated it all as if it were some relaxed adventure.
The change in environment had no impact on his eating or behavior. He was just ready for whatever we put in front of him. As long as he had his master to lead him, he was happy and content to follow. Those funny looking birds and ducks didn’t even make him flinch. It was the same world, just a different view.
Can we say that we’re so easy to adapt to change? That pup didn’t even know if we were going back to the place he calls home or if he’d see all his toys again, but it didn’t matter. His world was perfect because he knew where home was. He certainly doesn’t find a home in a structure; home is wherever we are. Contentment covers him as long as he has us to follow.
There was a huge lesson in his attitude for me. Would I be so quick and enthusiastic to follow my Master? Is my treasure stored with Him or within a structure filled with “stuff” that I call home? There isn’t anything wrong with having things, but when they hold us back from following where we’re called to be, then it’s a big problem.
I’ve often wondered about that. Am I able to be transported quickly and with excitement to wherever God leads? Am I storing up so much “stuff” that I’m tied to one area? Just like the pup wouldn’t have been happy even if he stayed in his home, but we left. We can’t be happy if we stay in our earthly home (no matter how comfortable it is) when God is ready for us to go elsewhere.
You see, it isn’t about the stuff we have, it’s about who we’re with. Give that some thought today. Are you ready to pick up and go if God says it’s time?
