Hidden Treasure

It has to be an utterly fantastic moment to be an archeologist and unearth a treasure that’s been long covered up.  To see, then touch the thing that has been encased by dirt and rock and darkness for so long…to be there as something of value comes into the light for the first time in centuries or perhaps thousands of years, must be exhilarating.

While the unearthed treasure has scars and scratches and may be worn down by time, it is nevertheless there….there for all to see….it’s beauty and form and shape no longer hidden. It must be quite a rewarding and thrilling effort to bring something out of the ground…as though back to life.  Something covered up…from the unseen world to the seen.

And even without the hand and tools of an archeologist, sometimes a strong wind can come along and blow sand, debris and pieces of dirt from around a treasure….and the pieces of the artifact start to appear…its shape and texture.  As a bit of sunlight reflects off its surface it begins to show its true value to the world around.  It has been found and it now stands in its right place in the world.

It seems all us of are buried somehow by the dirt around us …the dirt and rocks of the world.  We get overcome and covered by what’s around us and our real  selves are somehow covered up, as though we lose our essence.  But when the wind of God blows over our lives, all of the pain, past, dirt and mis-direction falls to the floor and we are left just as we were meant to be – our pure selves there as was intended long ago.  Sometimes finding your true calling requires the help of others.  Others see you in ways you can’t see yourself…they can ask questions to un-earth the real you.  But it’s the hand of God and his mercy on our lives that enables us to see our true selves….not the ego-centric self we are born with.

The wind that God blows our way can be a special song that stirs our soul or it can be an event that strikes a chord in us or it can be a mysterious movement in us that seems to haunt us until we take the step we know we are meant to take.  A step of faith.

When someone auditions for a singing role in, say, American Idol, they take a step of faith into the unknown.  They risk reputation, being a disaster, failing, looking foolish…they take a step of faith toward a goal they believe they were meant to achieve.  Then, the spotlight appears and if they have “it” you can see their purpose almost  instantly…..their voice is clear, compelling, gifted, always unique, dramatic and natural.  They are being who they were meant to be and there is no doubt.

So, what about you?

• Are you buried under a heap of things you aren’t?
• What unique place do you hold in the world?
• What has God given you that is your special way?
• Has He given you immense patience, joy, calmness, gentleness, a special skill or physical talent?
• What’s so special about you?
• What was God thinking when He made you?

If you are unclear as to your special role and place in the world, go to God in prayer and ask Him to help you see your natural giftings and your special role.  Ask Him to share what you are to be.  You may not have a special talent like singing or carpentry or business, but you may have a great interpersonal gift of joy or laughter that needs to come into the open….maybe you have a special way in dealing with stress, perhaps you can sense right from wrong easily, or perhaps you can bring order to chaos or deal wisely with people…..whatever it is, if you allow it to bloom, it’s sure to bring great joy and satisfaction to you and others.

Besides benefit to you, when you live out of who you really are, God is also happy…like hearing a lion roar, a horse run free or a sailboat harness the wind….just doing what they were meant to do.  God seeing us doing what He made us to do has to be fulfilling for Him as well….He is our  proud Father after all.

Knowing your purpose and special role in life, I believe, is your glory.   Your essence.  It takes courage to seek your true self since many of us are content to hold back….to live behind a safer life we’ve organized for ourselves….we fear changing that which we know.  Living out of your essence will put you in a new place and allow you impact the world around you in ways you’ve never known.   Knowing who you are and being yourself is a gift from God that will bring countless days of joy to your soul.

So, if you are not there yet….shake the dirt off…look up to heaven and call out to God in a loud voice about who you long to be….and then….live a gloriously full life and thank Him for forming you the way He did, those many years ago.

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Luke 17:11-19 (NIV) Emphasis Added….a story of men covered in sickness, a plea to Christ, healing and grateful thanks….

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosymet him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”