Tripping Over Typeset

I have a normal morning routine.  My body wakes me up at 6:23 am.  It’s this crazy thing where I’m sleeping and then in the next moment my eyes open and my clock reads 6:23.  It’s a little freaky how this just happens without really planning it.  I have no alarm set…it just happens.   It’s like some internal clock has taken over.

As soon as I wake and my feet touch the floor, the internal alarm clock of my yellow lab, Della, goes off as well…and the day begins!

Della and I walk the same route every morning.  Routine is kinda of nice when I’m not quite awake yet.  Della knows the way and I can follow her until my full mental capabilities wake up as well.

A few weeks ago as we were walking our normal routine of the field, my eyes were not quite focused and my brain was just waking up when something in my peripheral vision popped out at me.  I looked over and there in the hedgerow was a treasure of wild black raspberries.  I was surprised and ecstatic!  Yum!

How long had these been here?…Obviously a while. The plant was well established and producing quite well…yet I had missed it.

How many times had I sauntered by in my routine and missed this treasure…this harvest?

Some friends of mine introduced me to Geocaching this week.  For those who don’t know, this is an online but also physical, world-wide treasure hunt.  There are hidden “treasures” that other participants have hidden.  The map is online and one can use a GPS device to find these different “treasures.”  There are over 2 million of these hidden everywhere.

These treasures are not big in the monetary sense.  They are hidden, small treasures.  When you find a treasure, you leave a trinket of your own and pick one that was left by someone else.  There is a log book where you can sign in to show you were there!

What’s great about this is not just the treasure but the hunt.  Many of these places are in settings I might not have seen if I hadn’t been geocaching.  My first Geocach “treasure” was hidden in an enormous tree off the beaten path in the middle of a field only 3 miles from my home.  I would have missed it in my everyday routine.  In fact, I could have lived here the rest of my days and never found it because I wouldn’t have been looking for it.

The question is: In our spiritual journey, are we missing the treasure in our busy routine of life?  Are we surprised by the discovery of a treasure or are we intentionally hunting and searching for treasure that is lost?

In our living out of the routine, we can become oblivious to the ones God has placed in our path that need Him.  Sometimes it’s a coworker who is struggling silently, or the one in the grocery store who needs a helping hand.  Maybe it’s the cashier who is not as efficient as they could because inside they are torn apart.

We have a choice in the everyday: Do we wait for the treasure to grab our attention or do we Geocach and intentionally go out and search for the treasure that is lost.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10)

Today one of my teenager’s friends came with us geochaching and we found the treasure in our mall parking lot.  As I was driving her home she commented:  “I don’t know how many times I’ve driven by there and never known a treasure was there.  But now I can drive by and say…”There’s a hidden treasure there.”

And doesn’t God see each of His creation as a treasure…we are of great value to Him and He desires that no one be lost and away from Him.

Della and I have changed our routine.  Now when we walk, I look for the treasure in the field.  I pay attention and I’m drawn to the treasure around me.  How is it growing?  Is it ready to be harvested?  And since I have become aware of the black raspberry treasure, I see there is more treasure to be found…in other berries, hickory nuts and grapes.

When we open our eyes to see the small treasure around us and are faithful to pay attention, God reveals and opens our eyes to see the abundance of treasure that is to be found.

How are you discovering treasure…haphazardly or with intentionality?

May our prayer be:  Lord, give us eyes to see the treasure all around us. 

Jesus said, “The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! John 4:34-35 (The Message)