Treasures in Heaven

Matthew 6:19-21

In 1985, Bob and I bought our first house.  As usual, that year we traveled to St. Louis with six year old Megan and four month old Lauren to spend Christmas with both sets of grandparents.  On Tuesday, December 24, we got the phone call.

A fire had broken out in our house in St. Joseph, Missouri.  My daughter Megan's room was gutted.  The rest of the living area had suffered heavy smoke damage.  We were in shock and overwhelmed by what we would face when we got home.

We made it through Christmas without telling any of the children.  That evening, I broke the news to Megan.  She cried a few tears and then she said, "Well at least we didn't lose anything really important. We're all right."

Thank you, Lord, for wise words out of the mouths of children.  Help us to remember when the weight of our responsibilities and the things we possess press in upon us that Jesus instructs us to "store up...treasures in heaven."  It is the only real security we have.

Maggie Johnson
Written for the St. Mark Presbyterian Lenten Devotional 2002