Saturday, April 3, 2010

Ever So Close

"The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart -- that is, the word of faith which we preach" Romans 10:9.

In the 1800's a prospector went to California in search of his fortune. He spent his entire life scouring the mountains for gold, only to die as a pauper. When they were digging the grave behind his house to bury him ... do I really need to finish this story?

It's kind of a sad story, isn't it? To think that our lives could literally be wasted in search of some illusive something--that one thing we dream would make us happy. We tell ourselves . . . "I must be near it now -- surely I'll find it soon, I know I'm close." So goes life by the shovel full.

Dare we squander all the precious moments God has sprinkled into our lives while we frantically search for an even better moment? Have we become ungrateful for all the present good, because we are still searching for the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? And have we so concentrated our hearts on the "Big Find" that we find no reason to be thankful for food, shelter and clothing?

Sometimes the "gold" we're searching for is located in our own backyard. We need only to open our eyes to see. Rather than fret over the relationships we don't have, why not strengthen and concentrate on the relationships we do have. Instead of living a discontented life, why not learn contentment. We don't need to search the world over to find happiness. Stick a spade in the dirt. You're probably rich and don't even know it!