A Rich Man's Regrets

     The minute Angie saw us, lined up to wait for the open of her estate sale at the crack of dawn, she asked why we had missed last week's sale. Angie owns one of the best estate sale companies in the area, and over the years we've enjoyed her sales and her friendship. She stopped to visit long enough to let me know I'd missed out on some treasures - the estate had contained a vintage jewelry collection.

     I'd seen photos. Knew I should be there. But it was on the other side of town, and I didn't want to get caught up in the rush hour traffic that morning. So, I stayed close to home and went to some sales in our neighborhood. Of course I'd found nothing like the pristine jewelry that would've belonged to a collector, and now, a week later, I was filled with regret.

     Regret for my laziness...

     Regret for wanting to stay where I was comfortable...

     Regret for missing out on what might have been an opportunity to find some rare treasures...

     

This link bracelet features filigree, applied Old World dolphins and carved art glass, a treasure like this was worth the inconvenience!

     How often do we look back on a situation in our lives and wish we'd handled it differently. Sometimes it plays over and over in our minds - what we should have said, how we should have acted - but no matter how hard we wish for another opportunity, that doesn't always happen. And we are filled with regret.

     I would've...I should've...I could've...

     Jesus told the story of a man full of regrets; a rich man, that had enjoyed the finest in life - while the beggar laying at his gate desired just the crumbs that fell from his table. This man and the beggar both died. The beggar was escorted to Paradise by angels, while the rich man awoke in Hades, tormented in flames. The rich man realized that it was too late for him, but if the beggar could just be sent to speak to his brothers, who were still living, perhaps they would be saved from the torment he was experiencing. But no, Father Abraham told him, if they did not listen to what Moses and the prophets had said, they were not going to be persuaded by one raised from the dead.

     This man had been too lazy to show concern for the hungry beggar lying at his gate...

     He had cared only about his comfortable life...

     And he would forever miss out on the real treasure...eternal life in Heaven.

     Perhaps you have heard about Jesus Christ dying on the cross for your sin, but you don't trust Him as the only One who can save you from an eternity of torment after you die. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life - no one comes to the Father except through Him. If you are not persuaded by Jesus, who did raise from the dead, then you will find yourself full of the same regrets as the rich man. 

     When we die, it is too late to be filled with regret for what we would've, should've, could've done...

     Now is the time to believe, now is the day of salvation...

   

Treasure - Because it Rained This Morning...

     It rained this morning.

     Hmm...  If you read this blog to learn more about pursuing treasure, this opening is disappointing; in fact it looks a little sad to me, too!

     However, if you are a desert dweller, used to temperatures over 100 degrees this time of year, you may have smiled as you read that sentence. My porch, yard, the streets and even mountains had a layer of brown dust, that left everything looking dry and parched - and, well, dusty!

     So I watched it rain this morning. Watched as the rocks in the back yard showed off colors hidden underneath the dust; as the plants sprang to life, almost dancing with each drop that bounced off their leaves. Stood for a long time, coffee cup in hand, grateful for the monsoon rain and the cooler air it brought.

Mountains obscured by clouds as the rain fell this morning.

     Because, when you live in the desert, rain is a treasure.

     Each day God gives us a unique work of art in the sky, no two days are ever identical, with perfect colors and composition. Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel doesn't compare to the vibrant oranges, reds and purples of a sun slipping below the mountains. It's right in front of us, a priceless gift from God. What happens when I become too busy to watch a sunrise, or look up on a dark night, at the stars that feel so close?

     Or stop watching the rain fall on the hard desert ground? 

     Or forget to thank God for all of it?

      I have to admit, when I become that busy in my "pursuit of treasure", I will be pursuing the wrong treasure. And though it's fun to find those sparkling rhinestones - they can't compare with the beauty of God's creation, or the feeling I had... 

     Because...

     It rained this morning.

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; and have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes through the paths of the seas, O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!"

Psalm 8:3-9

     

Antique Post Cards - Words Last a Long Time!

      Sometimes finding a treasure takes more pursuit than others! Sometimes you have to dig through piles of wadded up paper or clothing - and sometimes there isn't anything even close to being called a treasure when you get to the bottom...

    And then... sometimes...you find something wonderful!

     One Thursday morning, under a pile of wrapping paper I found an old box that once held cheese - not a treasure. But inside the box was hundreds of antique and vintage post cards. The front side of each was unique- Holiday greetings,  photo cards of sports figures, celebrities, actors and actresses, and witty 1920's era humor. Some were blank on the back, but many had short notes...treasured by someone for almost a century! Then there were a few where a writer had attempted to erase some of the words...leaving just an impression behind.

     I must confess - I save most of the greeting cards I receive that have a personal note;  the time it's taken someone to write kind words, and the thoughtfulness behind the gesture are things I treasure.

     And if I'm honest, there are words not written down, not-so-kind words...that I wish I could erase...and forget...

This colorful card came from Germany in the early 1900's.

          Jesus said, "...the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart...every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

     Paul told the Ephesians to use words that were helpful for building others up according to their needs, words that were a benefit to those listening. 

     Let's stop to think about what words have come out of our mouths in the last 24 hours? They gauge what is going on in our heart! 

     The words of Jesus and Paul are convicting. We may need to ask forgiveness for those words, and the heart issues that are behind them.

     Reading the old post cards made me realize something - the words we share may be around for a long time! If not on the back of a post card, perhaps in someone's heart. Would we want the words we're about to share to last one hundred years? Or would we wish we could erase them?

     

     "For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether." Psalm 139:4