What do you treasure?

At different times in our lives we tend to treasure different things. Around 8 years old, my bicycle was probably one of my most treasured possessions. At 16 years old, it was a piece of paper and then a card that said I had the priveledge to drive an automobile on the road. It is funny how, while I still enjoy riding a bicycle, the bicycle has slipped in its standings. And how that card in my wallet is appreciated, but not really treasured as it was 25 years ago.

All that proves is that the things we treasure change during the course of our lifetime, as they should, and 'things' tend to change the most in their relative value to us.

Having officiated at several funerals, a common thing I have noticed about most people at funerals is that they tend to value people over petty objects or disagreements at a time of loss. And people tend to be more focussed on things with spiritual value as well. It seems obvious that would be the case, afterall, with the death of a loved one, we are reminded of how short life is, how fleeting the time is and how temporary our ownership of things is. A funeral tends to strip away all the shiny objects from our view and help us see things more clearly.

The solution to keeping the right focus is not to ratchet up our attendance at funerals. This would be a temporary fix until we grew so accustomed to it that it would no longer phase us. The solution is to build our system of value on things that matter.

People matter.

If you have the opportunity to pocket an extra $100 by cheating someone (without them knowing), would you do it? $1000? $10,000? If we value people, the amount won't matter. No amount of zeroes following a dollar sign will move us. We often hear that "Everyone has their price." For that to be true, some poeple's price must be astronomically high. I don't think it is true. I think it is possible to value people so much that no dollar figure can cause you to cheat someone else. I have seen it in action, haven't you? I hope others see that in me.

I may not have labourers that work for me that I owe a paycheck in the sense James speaks of, but I need to pay those who I contract to serve me. Pay what I owe, tip my servers at restaurants, even make sure the government gets what I owe it. And I need to make sure I do not cheat others for my benefit. They may not be able to get back at me, but their voice will be heard:

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. - James 5:4

Just an encouragement to make sure to value the things that matter today. People matter.