Several years ago, I had the privilege of helping an elderly friend clean out her home as she transitioned to living with her daughter.  Years of collections and books and dishes and decor were carefully sorted through as she decided what to keep and what to release.

While going through a box of cassettes, her daughter found one simply labeled, “a priceless treasure”.  I will never forget the smile on my friend’s face when the daughter questioned her about it.

The tape was a recording of her deceased husband’s voice.  Her words, “He is a priceless treasure to me.”

She had been widowed years before, and this simple tape was a treasure to her.  Where one might toss it carelessly aside, she knew its true worth.

I’ve been thinking about treasures lately.

A quilt, lovingly hand stitched.  The photograph of a daughter gone far too soon.  A baby’s smile.  The memory of a perfect day. A toddler’s belly laugh.  The chance meeting of an old friend.  Dinner with my husband.  All treasures.

The value of the treasure doesn’t rest in its expense but in its worth to my heart and soul.

You can read about treasures in the Bible.  One of my favorite passages is found in II Corinthians 4:

⁶ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

I have this treasure – the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ – and this treasure is in me (the earthen vessel).  Wow!

God created everything.  He commanded the light to shine out of darkness.  Yet He chose to give me the treasure of His Son.

He is the Priceless Treasure – a treasure that I can rest my heart in and on.

I am so grateful for what God has provided for me.  I am deeply thankful for the treasures of family and friends and love and laughter and peace, but I want to be careful about allowing things to clutter up space in my heart these days.

I want the Priceless Treasure God has given me to be at home in this heart of mine.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.