LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER

LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER

It is of paramount importance that we learn to look beneath the surface, beyond mere exteriors.  Often, priceless treasures are hidden within what (at first glance) seems to be sure and certain failure.

A man was exploring caves by the seashore.  In one of the caves, he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls.  It seemed that someone had rolled those clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake.

They really didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he carried the bag out of the cave with him.  As he strolled along the beach, he threw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, until he accidentally dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock.  Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Overwhelmed with excitement, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls.  Each contained a similar treasure.  He found thousands of dollars of rare jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.

Then it struck him.  He had been walking on the beach for a long time.  He had thrown approximately 50 or 60 clay balls, with their hidden treasures, into the ocean waves.  Instead of tens of thousands of dollars of value, he could have possessed hundreds of thousands, but he had simply thrown those muddy balls away!

It’s like that with people.  We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. Sometimes, they don’t look like much from the outside.  They aren’t always gorgeous, or bright, or sparkling, so we are tempted to discount and discard them.  Sometimes, we see such a person as less important than one who is more accomplished, stylish, famous, or wealthy.  But we just have not taken the time or effort to discover the treasure hidden inside.

Indeed, there is a rare treasure within each and every one of us.  If we take the time to get to know a person, and if we ask GOD to show us that person the way HE sees them, then the exterior clay begins to dissolve and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a veritable ‘fortune’ in friendships because priceless ‘gems’ were hidden inside ugly bits of clay.  May we learn to SEE as GOD sees.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!