This is from 9/17/07:
2 Corinthians 4:7
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
Yesterday (9/16/07) we celebrated 60 years of our church's history. What an incredible day! There were pictures and displays of so many things that have taken place through the ministry of First Assembly.
This past week I have been on a quest for a certain picture taken around 1972 of at church camp. I had received the Best Camper runner-up award and had to stand there with the boy who received the same award. It is an old Polaroid picture and not the greatest quality. When it was taken it was actually thrown in the trash to get a better picture. I confiscated the picture from the trash and kept it in my keepsake box as a little girl.
It was forgotten, along with a lot of other little mementos, until I was 19 years old. The summer that I was 19, I had returned home from my freshman year of Bible college in love and engaged. My whole heart belonged to Rusty Blann (and still does)! He had come to visit me before he was headed off to church camp as a kid's counselor. As our conversation turned to our years as campers, we discovered that we had both received the Best Camper runner-up award the same year.
I ran to my little girl treasure box and dug out the blurry Polaroid. I knew it was me, but was that Rusty? He didn't know, so he took the picture with him to Fordyce to ask his mother. She confirmed his identity.
So, in an instant, a discarded and forgotten photograph became a treasure. It was something that very few couples have- pictures taken of them together at a young age. It was transferred from my little girl treasure box to my "grown up" valuables!
Since I grew up in this church and my husband is now the Senior Pastor, I thought it would be rather nice to have that "treasured" photo in our timeline yesterday. So began my treasure search for the past week.
After my move, over a year ago, certain things are not where I thought they were, namely my treasured pictures. I dug through boxes, albums, closets and drawers. The picture was no where to be found!
What at first was a simple quest, quickly became an obsession!
"Could it have been discarded? Could we have lost it in the move? How could I have been so careless with something that cannot be replaced?"
My house now looks like a disaster area. All of the boxes and albums and storage containers are in our family room. I didn't find the picture for the 60th Anniversary celebration. I told my husband how frustrated I was and that as soon as the celebration services were over and I had my nap, then my search would resume.
Before I went to bed last night, I did just that. I looked through everything one more time. Finally, I had the "treasure" in my hand! It had been in an overlooked envelope with pictures I had set a part at one time to put in a special album.
I told you the short version (ha!) of that story to hopefully give you even more insight into the theme chapter of this blog: 2 Corinthians 4.
Things I can relate from this story to God's Word:
I had a treasure that at first I didn't realize was a treasure.
Once I knew I possessed a treasure, I eventually was careless with it.
When I realized my treasure was misplaced, it became valuable again.
My treasure was hard to find because it was hidden inside a common envelope.
I searched and searched until I regained my treasure.
Do you realize how powerful that is?
We have a treasure within us~ regardless of our circumstances, our upbringing, our choices~ regardless of ANYTHING!
You, my friend are a treasure because God created you, God loves you, and He has paid the ultimate price to have you in relationship with Him. All you have to do is accept it.
Wow!
Maybe a few of us need to go on a treasure hunt and find what He has placed with in us.
Love you all!
Dorinda
smile.
sigh.
1 comment:
Your blog ALWAYS blesses, Dorinda, always!
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