I would like to start with a story I've borrowed from Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power of Now".
"A beggar had been sitting by the side of the road for many years. One day a stranger walked by. The beggar mumbled as he mechanically held out his old baseball cap: "Spare some change?". "I have nothing to give", said the stranger. "What is that you are sitting on? "Nothing" replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I've been sitting on it for as long as I can remember." "Ever look inside?" asked the stranger. "No", said the beggar. "What's the point"? "There's nothing in there". "Have a look inside", said the stranger. The beggar managed to pry open the lid. With astonishment, disbelief and elation, he saw that the box was filled with gold."
Christ, for most of us at some point, comes as a stranger with nothing to offer. But He invites us to look inside. Not inside a box, but somewhere even closer. Inside ourselves. At that point in time, we might say: "What could possible be accomplished by doing that?
Those who have never found their true treasure, which is that radiant joy of being, and deep unshakeable peace that comes from Christ, are beggars, even if they may not know it. Without Christ, we continue to look outside for scraps of pleasure, for validation, for security, for praise, for love, while they have a treasure within that is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.
In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field which someone has found. This person who discovers this treasure, hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field. What he has discovered by accident is worth so much more than anything else he may have owned or acquired.
Have you found such a treasure? Have you been looking in the right place? Look within, for it is there that you will discover that the Kingdom of God is close at hand.
It seems that most people look for this treasure in far off places, whether it be in the things that we see, or maybe in a God who is far away, in the heavens above. So we seek after those things or bargain with this far-away God hoping that we will receive what we believe will fill our emptiness. Perhaps it is this far away God that the young Jeremiah is appealing to. "I have heard your word. I do your will. Yet they still curse me. Why is my suffering continual, my wounds incurable, refusing to be healed?"
It is only when Jeremiah develops a listening heart that he begins to hear God's voice within. "If you come back, I will take you back into my service. And if you utter noble thoughts, not despicable ones, you shall be as my own mouth." And Jeremiah is assured. "No one will overcome you because I am with you." Therein lies the secret of the joy of being and that deep unshakeable peace. It is discovering that God is one with us.
The treasure that we seek is really not that far away. It lies in our own hearts where God makes His home with us. We have no need to bargain with this God because His mere presence is sufficient to sustain our hope. As he promised Jeremiah: "I will make you a bronze wall fortified against the people's curses. They may fight against you, but they will not over come you."
No comments:
Post a Comment