Heavenly Hoarder

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Heavenly Hoarder

All this packing and purging recently has me thinking about Kingdom things. Where should we be “storing up” our treasures? Here on earth or there in Heaven?

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, answers this question for us…

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:19-21, NLT)

And then Paul urges Timothy to act and teach others to act similarly, concluding his charge in 1 Timothy, much like Jesus did in Matthew, with the reason why…

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.” (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NLT)

Storing up treasures in a worldly economy will not only one day end, but will continue to disappoint and fall short of true joy and fulfillment because storing up treasures on earth is unreliable, unwise, an unproductive in light of Eternity.

Storing up treasures in a heavenly economy will last forever, and will always please and supersede any earthly goal or dream because storing up treasures in Heaven is building on the best foundation for a blessed future and joy that goes beyond anything this world can offer.

So, if you’re anything like me, and hold on to earthly things a little too tightly, let’s get our priorities in order, and become a Heavenly hoarder!

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Launching Well Requires Letting Go

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Launching Well Requires Letting Go

Launching well requires letting go.

Launching number three of four this year, and one thing I’m learning in the launching is that in order to do it well you must let them go.

Just like an arrow is drawn back in a bow, that arrow will never hit the target unless the archer lets it go.

I know the tendency and the tension of motherhood because I have felt it for 22 years now. The grip is tight and the drawback is precise. We want to launch them well.

We want those arrows to go exactly where God intends, and yet when the moment comes to release the grip and let them go, we want to cling a little tighter and hold on a little longer, but if we do, they will never do all that He has planned.

You may be dropping them off at college today, but you will be lifting them up in prayer always.

Prayer is powerful. Words matter, so wield them well. Pray them. Say them. I promise they will stay with them, and they’ll remember them when they need them most.

More than your two cents, they need your encouragement. You’ve raised them well. You’ve taught them all the things. Now let them go so they can grow.

Loosen that grip of control, and allow God’s grace to take hold — of them, of you, and every new thing you each will pursue.

They love you. They need you. Just not as often or as much. And that’s the way God designed it to be.

We raise them to release them. It’s all a part of the process, and it’s beautiful (but sometimes we don’t see the beauty until after the ugly cry…and that’s ok, too).

I’m praying for you. I covet your prayers for me and my arrows, too.

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