V – Valuables and God {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
– Jesus (Matthew 6:21)
V—Valuables
What do you most want to protect? What’s the first thing you’d grab in case of a fire or a flood?
Where is God in those things?
When I’ve cleaned out homes after a flood or a tornado, my heart hurts to see a family’s treasures in tatters (or missing altogether). Family Bibles soaked beyond repair; special dishes in pieces; wet pictures in cracked frames.
It makes me think about my own valuables. I’d hate to lose photos, letters, personal gifts.
But why? Because those items represent people. They are ones I love, who God has gifted into my life.
The ‘what’ matters because of the ‘who.’
Try This
Think about your own valuables. Look around the room you’re in. If you had 30 minutes to leave your home forever, what would you grab first?
Then consider the ‘who’ behind each item.
Can you see God’s provision of a person associated with your valuables? Spend a few minutes thanking him for the valuables in your life. Then share that gratitude, if possible, with those who are most valuable to you.
Learn More
- Fire Preparedness Grab List
A downloadable PDF of what you should grab. - Pictures of What People Would Grab
A series of photos of what people think they’d carry with them, from The Burning House. - Why You Should Leave Your Bags Behind If Plane Is on Fire
Your life is more important than your carryon. Video footage from August’s crash landing in Dubai of the Emirates 777.
* * *
What 3 things would you grab (other than people and pets!) if your house was on fire (and you safely had time)? I’d get my external hard drive with all my photos, my shadow box with Kali’s hair, and my laptop or phone (it’s a tossup). Please share in the comments.
Coming up tomorrow:
- W – Welcome
Can we welcome God in everything?
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- Five Books I Recommend – October 2016
- W – Welcome It All? {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
You’re making me realize that I’m pretty disorganized, because I can’t come up with three things. I guess I’d grab my purse and hope my phone was in it. And my planner, because if I didn’t have that I wouldn’t know what to do the day after the fire.
Ha. Maybe it just means that you’re living lightly, Michele, not holding on to any one thing too much. That’s good. I’m like you with the planner (except mine is on my laptop/phone); I need it to know what to do next. 🙂
Hi Lisa,
That’s a tough question and always intriguing to ponder! But you raise a good point that it’s the people behind the things that matter to us. I like your choices of the laptop and phone, though, since so much data is retrievable there!
When I think about losing stuff, I tend to want to hoard even more (put it in the cloud! get a lockbox!). But I’d rather just release my hold on it, and enjoy what I have now, now; and what I’ll have later, later. Thanks for stopping by, Valerie.
Photos, laptop and important papers.
Yes, I’m tracking with you on those three things, Debbie!
Great question. The first thing that came to mind was my Bibles. Funny how when push comes to shove, the stuff…. is just stuff.
Good answer, Floyd. Jeff was just looking over my shoulder a minute ago making a comment about who will get my Bible journals after I die. Maybe that’s something I should add to my “grab in case of fire” list. (Not that I expect my kids to read any of my journals–I’ll likely want them all destroyed, but I might still want them myself for a few more years.)
My Grandma’s pearls, photo albums, and a clock my husband made me years ago. I hadn’t really thought about things representing people!
Beautiful choices, Sarah. None of those things could be replaced (well, I suppose we could reprint our digital photos, but who would want to tackle a project like that!).
I could grab everything in 30 minutes, lol 🙂 (we’re living in an RV temporarily while we build our home)
I’d definitely grab my computer. Content is impossible to replace!
This: “Because those items represent people.” Exactly! I have several things packed away that I’m going to enjoy unpacking and reminiscing over when we finally get settled! I find it’s only my belongings that are linked to people that I truly care about. That’s a good thing! Great post, Lisa!
God bless you, June. Living in a small space, whether temporarily or permanently, requires an intimate cooperation with your partner to be kind and considerate.
It’s funny how we both would grab our computers as one of our most valuable possessions, yet not many years ago, we didn’t even know what a laptop was, and certainly didn’t count one as important to us! Times have changed. Blessings to you as you build your home!