Gleanings…

When I was a whole lot younger, my family and I lived in a house down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.  The house was mostly pine and cypress wood which meant that there were occasional knotholes.  One particular knothole was in the corner of the dining room about 2 to 3 foot off the floor.  This was my treasure chest.

Dad worked for the phone company and carried a large keyring with keys to the various switching and repeater offices in our area.  Over time, that keyring would stretch from taking off keys and putting on new ones.  When that happened, dad would bring that old keyring to me.

I loved little bits of nothing like that.  Keyrings, little pieces of change, chain pulls for lights, and assorted other things made me feel like I had a great treasure.  Because they were so precious, at least to me, I felt that I had to keep them in a safe place and, you guessed it, most of them went into that knothole in the wall.

The fact that I could not retrieve them did not matter to me.  The fact that no one else would think they were valuable did not occur to me.  That knothole was the entry point to the safest storage place that I could think of, so that is where I kept them.

We eventually moved from that house and I left all of those treasures behind.  That house was still standing the last time I went that way and I imagine that the items in that wall, my treasures, are still there, too.  I wonder what they will think if they ever tear that house down and find all of the stuff I dropped into that knothole.

Most of us have something like that knothole for storing treasures.  Sometimes it is out of sight and sometimes in plain view.  We put into it the little things that we are given and rarely take them out or use them.

This is often true for the less tangible things we receive.  Things like spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities can often find their way into treasure boxes.  We may take them out occasionally and allow them to remind us of other times, but mostly we just keep them put up so they don’t get broken or dirty.  Heaven forbid we should ever use them!

Dropping my treasures into a knothole meant that they could never serve again.  They could not produce joy.  They could not be used for a fun time of play.  In effect, they became useless and the gift of them was wasted.

What gifts and treasures, abilities and blessings have you hidden away?  Why do you keep them hidden?  Wouldn’t it be fun to bless someone with what you can do?

There are plenty of needs in this world where your treasures could heal someone, help someone, and give them hope.  And wouldn’t it feel good to know that all of the treasures you have been hiding away have brightened someone’s day just as it did yours?  Don’t drop them down a knothole; ask God to show you how to use them again.  We have plenty to do.

Blessings,
Braxton ><>