Friday, March 18, 2011

Easter Eggs

When Joe & I go away for a few days I tend to 'hide' our valuables amongst the house.  A nice necklace goes underneath a random couch cushion.  Our video camera gets stashed behind the third red book on the second shelf down from the top of our bookshelf. (Obviously these are fake items and fake places I've invented to get my point across.  I would NEVER divulge my true hiding places.  I'm not stupid.)  We don't live in a bad neighborhood or anything.  I've never been robbed in my life.  It must come from some sort of internal survival instinct.

Either way before we leave the house Joe, making fun of me, always says, 'Did you get your Easter Eggs hidden?'

With a proud smile on my face, 'YEP!'

Sometimes I think it must be the fact that I was an only child most of my life.  It was tough for me to share and I was always of the mindset, MINE NOT YOURS.  If someone even eyed my things (favorite toy or not) savage mode instantly kicked in and I was a force to be reckoned with.  I would actually hate to see if I walked into my house in the midst of a burglary.  Picture the Incredible Hulk ripping his shirt off, fists poised, and a snarl across his face. That would definitely be me.

Last Friday when the tsunami dampened Japan, we were packing up for Bald  Head Island.  As I was hiding my Easter Eggs before we left the house I started to think about all of the objects in my hands and what worth they brought to me.  Everything was of a financial worth.  They were expensive.  They were materialistic.

Why was I putting so much thought and purpose behind saving these 'worthy' things?  Is that the worth that really counts though?  Is the worth of my THINGS comparable to the worth of me? 

I think not.  Unfortunately too often I'm guilty of becoming consumed with all of these shiny objects I possess and I forget about what really matters.    Our worth is not based on the money we make or the things we own.  Our worth lies in the decisions we make.  It is a direct result of the way we react to circumstances we're faced with.

As always is the case it usually takes the witnessing of a tragedy to refocus our priorities.  The crisis in Japan should lay heavy on our hearts.  These are our fellow man.  We should pray, we should think, and we should do.  We should love and spread compassion at the very least.

Our worth is not in the things we own ... it's what's in here (pointing to my heart).

1 comment:

Perpetual Blind Date said...

I dont ever hide my easter eggs but i do value my "things" wayy too much and sometimes find myself looking at them instead of God for security and self worth. Great post, friend!