There wasn’t much that hadn’t been damaged. The movers that I had hired to unpack the truck kept coming across broken glass and falling furniture. It was like a giant game of Jenga, wondering which piece we could move next without creating more damage and could we avoid slicing our hands open on the sharp edges of what once were beautiful pieces of framed artwork.
To say I was upset is an understatement. Watching each thing come off the truck looking worse than the last was horrifying. We had spent money on these things—they were not cheap. We inherited some of these things—their memories were special. And there was a moment where I could do nothing but just cry. The road trip to get here had not been great. I was looking forward to unpacking our belongings and settling in to our home. And now, I had a mountain of (what felt like) junk sitting in rooms in my house.
But God is good, and He reminded me of something in that moment. It’s just stuff. It’s replaceable. And I still have the memories even if the pieces are perfect anymore. The verse that came to mind was very appropriate.
“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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” –Matthew 6:19-21
The fact is, God opened the doors for us to move to Alabama. He provided a home that is right across the street from Emily. He gave Chris a good job. Peyton is still excelling in school. I have a bed to sleep on. And despite there being new holes in the back of my sofa AND love seat, I can still recline in them and relax after a long day of unpacking.
God is good. He is my treasure. I don’t want to have these temporal things here on earth distract me from the beautiful and best things that wait for me in heaven.
Today, sweet friends, I challenge you to think on the treasures you have for yourself in heaven and not the things we collect on this earth. It’s a much richer treasure than you or I could ever imagine.
~Erin
Iron Porch 