“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:19-21 KJV
After graduating from college, I moved in with my aging Grandparents. Before I even started unpacking my bags, Grandma showed me the brand new litter of kittens born in the back room. The mother, an ornery old barn cat, was cautious but accepting of my interest in her small family. From the litter I adopted two grey tabbies. Shortly after they were weaned, Cleo and Tiny moved into the main house. They were a study in opposites – Tiny, always cautious; Cleo, daring to stretch every rule and boundary. Tiny was content just to be with people, while Cleo was the queen of mischief, always finding something to amuse her overly active little mind.
I was at work the day that my cousin came to visit and discovered the old metal Chinese checkers board in my Grandma’s spare room closet. Dusting off the round tin, he careful opened it to find only six of the original sixty marbles rolling around inside. A search of the shelves produced another ten, but no more. He enlisted Grandma’s help and together they rummaged through all the closets and drawers in the house, but with no success. The rest of the marbles could not to be found.
“I found five more.” Grandma commented several days later.
“Five more what?”
“Marbles.”
“Marbles?”
“Yes, for Chinese checkers. They were rolling around in my sewing machine cabinet.” As she walked toward the parlor, I followed. “They are all different colors, but I think that we can make it work...” She stood for a long moment looking at the round table. “They were right here.”
“Maybe they fell on the floor.” A thorough search revealed nothing.
“I know I put them on the table. Didn’t I?”
“I don’t know Grandma.”
While I sat on the floor, comforting my Grandma, I noticed Cleo slink out from behind the old upright piano in the corner of the room. I had a sneaky suspicion that my kitten was involved in the recent marble heist. It only took a few moments to move the piano, and behind it, in the corner was a large pile of stuff: milk caps, hair clips, straws, cat toys and five shiny glass orbs.
“I thought I had lost my marbles!”
Cleo had collected her treasures for some time, hiding them away from the other house cats. She couldn’t really enjoy the things that she had because she was afraid someone would take them away from her.
We too spend a lot of time hording things here on earth: money, fame, power, and respect. But the Bible tells us that it is far better to lay up heavenly treasures: obedience, faith, love, and service. Things that will last for eternity.
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