The Right Treasure

Miles dreamed about the hoverboard he was saving up for as he raked leaves in his grandmother's yard. His dad had agreed to pay him for his help since Grandma couldn't rake them herself, and Miles was brainstorming more ways to earn some extra money. Maybe some of his neighbors would pay him to rake their leaves.Just then, he noticed a large hole in the base of a big tree. "Look, Dad!" he called as he knelt to peer inside. "I never noticed this before. This would be a good place to hide stuff."Dad walked over to look. "Maybe there's a cache of jewels or a sack of stolen money inside," he teased. He poked his rake into the hole, and they heard a scraping sound as the rake hit a metal object."Something is hidden in there!" exclaimed Miles. Plunging his hand inside the cavity, he felt around and finally pulled out a small box. "Wow! A real treasure chest! I wonder who put it there." Miles eagerly opened the old box and looked inside. He felt a pang of disappointment when the treasure turned out to be a soggy pair of shoelaces, a rusty pocketknife, and a moldy book about fishing."Somebody must have hidden these things and then forgot about them," said Dad. "Now look at them. I hope whoever stored these here put most of their treasures in a better place.""Yeah. Somewhere they won't get ruined, like in a closet or one of those safe deposit boxes at the bank.""I was thinking of an even better place than that," said Dad. "Jesus said we should store our treasures in heaven, where they'll never be ruined or stolen." Dad shook his head. "We often put so much emphasis on material things like houses and clothes and cars…"And hoverboards, thought Miles. "We need to remember those things won't last," said Dad. "The only treasure that lasts is found in Jesus--being saved from sin and having a relationship with Him for all eternity." Miles nodded as he looked at the rusty pocketknife. I still want a hoverboard, he thought. But I'm glad I already have what really matters--treasure in heaven. He put the box back into the hole in the tree and picked up his rake. -Ellen C. Orr