The Treasures Inside

My parents divorced when I was 18, and all the emotions of letting go of my definition of family pursued. Our family home was sold and while packing my mother put together a box of things for my brothers and me that were our childhood treasures. This box went into storage and when I purchased my first home, my mother shipped the box of treasures to me. I left the box sealed and put in our basement. For years the box continued to make the move from one home to another in Minnesota eventually ending up in a basement closet in our new home in California.

Recently I was digging through the closet underneath the stairs looking for some tax documents when I found the box from days gone by. As I slowly opened the box, my childhood treasures greeted me - the original Star Wars album that I listened to repeatedly laid at the bottom of the box. I picked it up and paged through the front cover that had pictures from the movie. There were various other items in the box including a bag of marbles, a trophy from high school and things from summertime trips my family had taken across Montana and Wyoming. Instead of letting the world enjoy these treasures I left them hid away, believing that they were meant for only me.

As I've aged, the treasures of my youth no longer hold the same significance they once did. The joy I might have spread by sharing these cherished items generously with others remains an unknown. This chance was lost to the shadows of fear that told me to hide the treasures away in the darkness of my basement.

As I finished my trip down memory lane, I stepped back out of the closet and looked around at the bigger box I call my home. It is where I store my treasures today. I asked myself, am I in the same way hiding this box and its treasures from others like I did as a child? Do my fears still control my heart?

I know that my most precious box, however, is one given to me by the Almighty. Throughout my life, He has provided, and the box has become full. This box, my soul, has become a hiding place for memories and dreams, selfishly gathered, hidden from others to see. I always believed that these treasures were just for me. But now I have come to realize that this box needs to be opened to the world around me. Not to boast but in an act of love for others to hear of the things that made me.

Within this box lies love, a love that has quietly shaped me. Yet, fear quietly remains threatening to silent me. While one of my closest friends has become proficient with the brush and paints her emotions, my expression is found with a pen within my words. However, the question for the writer and the painter remains the same.

Who will win?

Now I stand at the closet’s doorway of choice. Will fear’s grip tighten, or will love’s courage prevail? I proclaim let my words be heard, revealing the love of God hidden within, inviting others to discover the treasures inside my soul.

Mother Teresa’s words captured in, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living explain it perfectly, “I am a little pencil in God's hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil, and He has to sharpen it a little more.”

If the painter stores up her work in her studio or the writer hides away his journal every evening, God’s light remains hidden from the world. There is no way for others to find the path, the darkness of the night devours their soul.

My prayer is that my words shine a light in the darkness of this world. Even if it is only one reader that finds comfort in my writing, I will light the lamp and put it in a place for others to see.

I invite you to reflect on your own ‘box of treasures.’ How can you overcome your fears and share your light with the world?

Mother Teresa tells a story about one of her trips to Australia. “On a reservation, among the Aborigines, there was an elderly man. I can assure you that you have never seen a situation as difficult as that poor old man's. He was completely ignored by everyone. His home was disordered and dirty.

I told him, 'Please, let me clean your house, wash your clothes, and make your bed.' He answered, 'I'm okay like this. Let it be.' I said again, 'You will be still better if you allow me to do it.' He finally agreed. So, I was able to clean his house and wash his clothes. I discovered a beautiful lamp, covered with dust. Only God knows how many years had passed since he last lit it.

I said to him, 'Don't you light your lamp? Don't you ever use it?' He answered, 'No. No one comes to see me. I have no need to light it. Who would I light it for?' I asked, 'Would you light it every night if the sisters came?' He replied, 'Of course.'

From that day on the sisters committed themselves to visiting him every evening. We cleaned the lamp, and the sisters would light it every evening. Two years passed. I had completely forgotten that man. He sent this message: 'Tell my friend that the light she lit in my life continues to shine still.' I thought it was a very small thing. We often neglect small things."

No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.?? Luke 8:16-17 NIVUK