The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. ~ MT 13:44
The man did not own the field in which he toiled. His work is not the treasure. He is not the treasure. But only because of his work – in that particular place at that particular time – did he (and could he) have found the treasure.
When God asked Solomon what he wished for, Solomon surprised God by asking for wisdom. Not riches, not power, not fame, no even health or a long life. Wisdom. And for his humble request, God blessed Solomon with wisdom and all that he had not requested.
Two phrases that come to my mind:
- Be careful what you wish for
- If wishes were horses we’d all take a ride
Today is the first day of my birthday month. I have cycled 50 years on this planet. On the last day of this month I turn 51. I cross the half century mark. The cliches apply – I am introspective, wistful. I wonder about the future. What may lie ahead. And then I think – life and living is not a linear arc. It is not a vector on a 2-plane field. A life is quantum physics, chaos mathematics. And the life I have lived to this mark is rich and abundant. I have carried life inside me, given birth, dreamed, focused, achieved, created, destroyed, failed, believed, doubted, raged, loved. It is a life. It is grand. And suddenly, while toiling about in my field, I find treasure. Unexpectedly, without search or even hoping for it. But there it is. I find myself. I had felt lost. Now, found. God’s grace.