Treasure vs. Trash

We were on the hunt.  Carefully stalking our prey, we were both armed and dangerous… and hungry.  Suddenly, we both spotted it.  I looked at Joe to see if he had seen it, and he was looking right back at me.  Then, we both emptied our hands and charged.  I got to it first - a locked metal box on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, it had to be Pirate treasure!

We sat on the bottom in about 85 feet of water, miles from shore, trying to pry the lid open and stirring up the mud, making the water very murky.  I grabbed Joe’s hand and patted his sheathed knife, so he unsheathed his blade.  I guided the blade to where the lid latched and gave a thumbs up.  Joe twisted, and his knife popped loose.  I quickly checked the tip and realized that it had slipped off of the box.  So, we tried again.  It popped again, but this time, the box was open!

We could see about as well as if we were in a sea of chocolate milk, so couldn’t tell what was inside of that valuable chest.  All we could think to do was sit still and wait.  We waited some more, and then more.  It seemed as if the water didn’t want to clear, but little by little we could see the box; then, shapes within the box.  They were cylindrical, like a stack of coins, perhaps.  When, at long last, we could tell what we were looking at, we both laughed – at ourselves and then at each other and then at ourselves again.  We laughed long and loud because we were holding a broken meter box which had been discarded or dropped from the drilling platform where we were diving.

Then, as if someone had turned on a light in a dark room, we both stopped and looked around frantically.  It had dawned on us both at the same moment that we had discarded our spearguns when we so eagerly charged the broken box.  We threw away something which had high value to us, to chase after someone else’s garbage, which had no value to anyone.

I deliberately choose to never forget that day.  It serves as a bare reminder of how easily I can become distracted from what matters most:  my Lord, my wife and family, truth and my integrity.  Sometimes, I discard something which has high value, to chase after someone else’s garbage, which has no value to anyone.

Too often in life, we forget what matters most.  Without giving it any real thought, we begin chasing after the wrong things - someone else’s garbage, which has no value to anyone.

We would be wise to deliberately remind ourselves of the most valuable things in life.

We would be wise to deliberately remind our family of the most valuable things in life.

We would be wise to deliberately remind others of the most valuable things in life.

We would be compassionate to call them back to the most valuable things in life.