I like the idea of finding treasure. Don’t you? There’s just something about coming across things of great value. I’m always fascinated by the tales of those who have discovered original copies of the Declaration of Independence in an old picture frame, or the guy who was tearing down a wall in his house only to find a rare copy of the comic book, Action Comics No. 1, being used as insulation (true story, and the comic was valued at $175,000…that’s some expensive insulation!). These accounts of finding riches, particularly unexpected riches, excite something within me.
Even as a kid, I remember enjoying the occasional treasure hunt. My brother and I would dig some small hole in the back yard (I’m sure it was in a designated, hole-digging spot), and I would hope that we would happen upon some buried treasure chest. Or I’d shine a flashlight into the openings of the duct work, especially if we had moved to a new house, hoping to see some package taped to the side containing valuable jewels. On vacations to the ocean, I’d spend some time strolling up and down the beach, looking for something of value that had been cast aside and washed to shore. (This wasn’t a huge priority…riding the waves, building sandcastles, and drinking ice-cold Coca~Cola were all more important, but treasure hunting was still done. My biggest beach prize? An “Odie” pencil topper from the Garfield Comic strip. The stickers had worn off, but you could still wag the tongue with the lever. I kept that thing for years and years. Pretty impressive, right?)
Maybe it was too many Hardy Boys novels, or maybe it was some other factor, but treasure hunting in some form has always been exciting to me.
In my adulthood, treasure hunting still appeals to me. Typically, I don’t go about digging holes, and I know there’s nothing in the ductwork or walls at my current house (it’s pretty new, and I helped to build the thing…I know what’s in those walls), but I still like to find treasure. I like to find something at a garage sale that is useful to me but is no longer valued by the person selling it. I also enjoy stumbling upon an occasional find at a thrift store.
One of my favorite places to treasure hunt? The Goodwill Outlet. That place is awesome (and terrible…depending on your perspective). At the Goodwill Outlet, they sell stuff by the pound without any regard to the value of the item. There’s also no regard for organization. Everything is just dumped into giant bins on wheels. Clothes in one section, everything else in another. Glass, books, tools, trinkets, toys, mugs, garden hoses, gnomes…you name it…it might be in there. Piled high, dusty, dirty, sometimes broken, sometimes brand new. Giant bins of stuff. Plus, they bring out a new row of bins every 30 minutes, taking out an old row. There is no telling what you might find. Within those bins, we’ve found a World War 2 Army helmet, a guitar, LEGO building blocks, antique clocks, a Benchmade pocket knife, The North Face jackets, and much, much, much more…hundreds & hundreds of dollars worth of items that we have purchased for a fraction of the cost. (We’ve also found countless bottles of broken Avon cologne, bent frying pans, and soooooo, sooooo, sooooo many things that have absolutely ZERO worth to me.)
It was awesome…until it wasn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hold anything against the place, but I know that I can’t go there right now…at least not for a while.
Here’s why. I was putting too much value in those treasures. Treasure hunting at the Goodwill Outlet (and other places) was taking too much of a precedence. My spare time was being gobbled up by looking for treasure, shuffling around said treasure, and then trying to sell the treasures to others.
First, I’d spend hours looking for “treasure” amongst the junk, trying to find that thing that was worth all of the effort. Then, after I found the treasure and brought it home, I’d have to do something with it. Find a place to store it. Clean it up. Fix it if needed. This process, of finding something to do with the treasures, wasn’t necessarily straight forward. If I wanted to keep something, I’d have to figure out where it would go. If I wanted to keep it and it needed fixed, I’d have to figure out where it would go to wait to be fixed before it would go to its final spot. Or, if I wanted to sell something, I’d also have to make the same decisions. Where do I put this thing? I have limited space, so oftentimes this process would mean shuffling around other “treasure” that had been purchased previously. Hours (and sometimes entire days) could be spent sorting, shuffling and re-arranging the treasures that would come home. Finally, I’d have to sell some of the “treasure”. Take pictures, meet with people, package things up, etc. Some of this was fun for me…especially finding the great deal and keeping it, or finding the great deal and passing it onto someone else for them to enjoy. Still, there was an issue, even if it was fun. I was valuing the process too much. The cost was too high. It wasn’t too high in terms of money, but in the other things that were being sacrificed. Too much time, too much energy, too much effort was put into this whole affair. Times that I could have spent with family were being spent with “treasures.” Worse yet, times that I could have spent with God were being spent with things that were threatening to become a god in my life…you know, something that I was “worshipping” instead of God…thinking about too much, sacrificing for, etc.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches his followers about treasures. Look at what he said:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
After honest reflection, I was living my life and valuing things on earth too much. I was placing my heart in the Goodwill Outlet bin, amongst the dust, the dirt, the broken pieces of this world, hoping to find something of lasting value.
If I’m completely honest, none of the treasures that I’ve found have super, long-lasting value, or eternal significance. Sure, I’ve had some enjoyment, I’ve found some cool things, I’ve even made some money, but does that really matter that much? Does that impact or change the world greatly? Does it encourage others to follow Christ? Does it make any eternal difference?
Plus, there was the reminder of where all of these treasures would wind up. The Goodwill Outlet bin is kind of the last stop for a lot of the items that end up there. I imagine that if things can’t be sold by the pound at the Goodwill Outlet, they will be on their way to the recycling plant or the trash heap. But, that very fact served as a reminder to me. I might rescue something from the trash for a season, but isn’t that where all of the material things we own will head at some point anyway? Isn’t the end result of all of these “treasures” decay?
Plus, there was the reminder of where all of these treasures would wind up. The Goodwill Outlet bin is kind of the last stop for a lot of the items that end up there. I imagine that if things can’t be sold by the pound at the Goodwill Outlet, they will be on their way to the recycling plant or the trash heap. But, that very fact served as a reminder to me. I might rescue something from the trash for a season, but isn’t that where all of the material things we own will head at some point anyway? Isn’t the end result of all of these “treasures” decay?
Jesus says, “Don’t store up treasures on earth…where moths and vermin destroy…where thieves break in and steal.” Those earthly things we value, they rot, they rust, they break, they get stolen, they don’t last. The latest and greatest tech will quickly be outdated. The coolest Christmas gift ever received will eventually lose its coolness. The best, brightest, biggest, thing will eventually fade away. Nothing manmade lasts eternally. It just doesn’t. It will all fade. It might even wind up in the Goodwill Outlet bin, being sold by the pound before it’s on its way to the dump.
Besides that, there is the colloquial wisdom that holds true: “You can’t take it with you.” We have a limited time. Our lives here on Earth will also come to an end, and we can’t take a single thing with us. We came into the world with nothing, and we will leave that way too.
Personally, I found that I was spending too much time hunting treasures that do not last. Sure, you might have said my office/garage/shed were a mess, but looking from the outside, you wouldn’t have known I had a little issue. Still, I knew. I know. Christa knew (before me…sorry hon!). My treasure hunting was happening in the wrong place with the wrong priority.
Right now, I’ve hit the pause button on the Goodwill Outlet. Maybe it’s a complete stop. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but I know that pulling junk out of the thrift store bin is not the big-picture plan that God has for my life.
So, what now?
I still find treasure hunting to be awesome. There’s something exciting about finding something of value. Now, though, I hope that I am finding value that is lasting, that I am seeking kindness, loving mercy, walking humbly with God. I hope that I am valuing others more than I am valuing stuff, that I am spending my time, my energy, my efforts looking to build others up in the kingdom of God. I hope that I am placing my heart in the kingdom of heaven, where moth cannot eat, where you don’t have to worry about vermin, and where thieves cannot destroy.
Friend, I have to ask: What about you? Where are you storing your treasures? What are you valuing? Where are you rich?
My hope is that we value the eternal riches that we have received through Jesus Christ and that we continue to seek treasure within his kingdom. My prayer is that we place our hearts in his hands, that we store up our treasures in his kingdom, and that we are building up that which is eternal. Otherwise, we’re ultimately placing our hearts in the Goodwill Outlet bin which will lead eventually to the dump. Trust me. You don’t want to keep your heart there. Sure, you might find a shiny trinket, but you’ll stink like decay with a hint of old cologne. The kingdom of heaven is way better than that!
~ Pastor Chris
