I |
t’san old adage we’ve all heard many times and,
I venture, we’ve used it
in appropriate situations just as our parents did before us and their parents
before them. That’s the wonderful thing about old adages. No matter who
uses them, and no matter in what situations they are
applied, their truths are ageless and always
cause those who hear them to stop and think.
I
had several opportunities to reflect on the simple but profound truth found in
the words, “Home is
where the heart is!” As I
packed up books, stuffed clothes into laundry bags, gingerly placed dishes and
glasses into protective packaging, and crammed books
into box after box in preparation for moving into my new house, I came to
realize that, while my possessions occupied my former apartment, my heart was
no longer there. In fact, my heart was anywhere but into packing and
storing my worldly goods.
Have
you ever noticed just how many things we collect once we have a place to call
our own? I mean, how many twist ties does one person need? Yet, while packing up my life, I found myself musing over the smallest items,
remembering where I got them or who gave them to me. But the more I mused
and the more I packed, the more stuff I realized I had accumulated that I
really didn’t need. Finally, after countless trips
back and forth between my apartment and my new home, I placed the last box into
my car, closed the door, turned the key, and left knowing I had to unpack all of it again when I got home.
If
you’ve ever moved, you can identify with the frustrations that accompany
packaging all your belongings and moving them from one location to
another. You ask yourself constantly why you ever bought so much stuff
and why you never used it as you intended to. If this has ever happened
to you, you will be able to appreciate Jesus’ words regarding worldly possessions
and how they hinder us from having the relationship God fully intends for us to
have with Him.
In Matthew
6:19-21,
Jesus says, "Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and
where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in
and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This
passage of scripture is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus
wanted his listeners to understand that worldly possessions have a way of
possessing us instead of us possessing them. This is nowhere more evident
than in today's society. Not content with what we
have, we are constantly at the malls, in the shops, or calling the number on
our television screens to purchase the latest gadget or the newest “must-have”
fashion. Before our money is in the bank, before we can use it to further
God’s kingdom, before we can help others in need, it is spent or obligated for
something we don't need.
The
most difficult portion of this passage is found in the last sentence.
Throughout his ministry Jesus placed great emphasis on the heart and ensuring
it was acceptable to God. Yet, in this passage, Jesus
states that our hearts will be found where our treasure is. This
statement is very powerful. If God is our treasure, our hearts will be
with Him and
we will be content no matter our circumstances or our location. This is
what Paul meant when he said he had learned to be content in all
situations. However, if our treasure is not where God is, we will be
miserable because nothing we can buy will ever satisfy the longing and desires
of our hearts.
If
home is truly where the heart is, then our hearts can only truly be at home
when they belong to God. Because when our hearts belong to Him, we are
always where He is; we are always
with Him. Not a bad
place to be, huh? Where is your heart today?
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