Finding the “Treasure” in your “Trials”
At the risk of telling my age, one of my favorite childhood snack was Cracker Jacks. Hurriedly I would eat the tasty morsels of sweet and salty popcorn all the while keeping my eyes peeled for the PRIZE. I can’t say that I was ever disappointed even though some prizes were better than others. There was something about knowing that there was a treasure waiting in the bottom of the box that made me keep going looking.
In 2 Kings 4, there was a woman whose husband had died leaving her and her sons in debt. For fear that her sons would be taken as slaves to repay the sum, she cried out to the prophet for help. Surely the greatness of her trial would compel the prophet to deliver her. However, he asked her a curious question — “Woman what do you have in your house?” Why would he ask such a question at a time as this? You see life can sometimes mirror the Cracker Jack box in that it gives us a mixture of sweet and salty. However, we don’t always recognize the treasure because we’re too focused on the trials. Consider what may be hindering you from finding the “treasure” in your “trials”.
- Not knowing what you have – Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”One of the great hindrances that keep us from finding the treasure in our trials is IGNORANCE. The word ignorance comes from the root word ignorant meaning unlearned, unaware, uninformed – not knowing. What you don’t can keep you from the greatest treasures of your life. Therefore if you lack wisdom (knowing) ask God and not people to show you!
- Not valuing what you have – Zechariah 4:10 “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” So often we miss the makings of our own miracle in life because we do not value the small, the base or the beginning of a thing. Isn’t just like us to always want the end result so much so that we miss the treasure in its beginning. We miss so many life lessons because we wish away the place we’re in and complain all the while.
- Not releasing what you have – 2 Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” Another hindrance that keeps us from finding the treasure in our trials is that we are not willing to let go of our stuff. Even when what we have is not enough to supply our need, we’d rather hold on to it than sow it.
In the end, the widow was able to be released from her debt by the treasure she found within her own trial. Imagine what liberty and freedom you could now be enjoying if you too did the same thing!
