Some things fade away, think eternal

I am in trouble.  I forgot to winterize things at my house this year.  The front porch chairs are still out, I didn’t get a chance to rake my leaves, and my garden hose still has water in it.  Naomi mentioned it this past weekend and I realized that I have so much to do outside.  Good news though it is supposed to be warm this week.

The last time I looked at my garden hose in December it didn’t have a leak, but the spray handle had shattered in half.  I bought the handle 15+ years ago, it is made of brass, and has served me well in three houses.  It seems to have frozen from the water in it and now I need a new one.

What are you going to do this week? Spend time outside? Go for walks? Clean up your yard again?  It seems that we spend a lot of time caring for the things we have, but then suddenly something will break.  We rush out to replace it and wonder if it will last like my spray handle did.

That is the problem with this world, not everything lasts forever.  We have a desire to care for things and make them last, but they never do.  All things break down over time, they slowly wear out and need to be replaced.

Jesus spoke specifically about this problem, challenging us to think about eternal things rather than those that fade away.  Matthew 6:19-21 reads:

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I treasured that Garden Spray Handle, it suited my needs well and was fun to use, but it was not meant to last forever.  My house has lasted longer than the spray handle and my life longer than my house.  We can see the temporal things of this world and in some ways, we expect them to last with maintenance.

These treasures we hold onto on earth will pass away, our treasures of life, spouses, children, finances, houses, cars, and so on will grow old and pass away.  We do not want to think about them passing away, but it is inevitable that it will happen.  Christ calls us to store up treasures not here on earth, but in heaven.

Have you invested eternal life into the things that matter the most?  Have you shared with your family what God has done for you?  Have you invested into the relationship you have with God?  We need to be more concerned with eternal things than temporal things.  We will spend more time in Heaven than we ever will on Earth, if we are followers of Christ.

If we are focused on Heaven and eternal life, then we will be concerned about who will join us there.  Our treasure and reward is in heaven, let our hearts long for an eternity with God and those that call upon His name.  This focus on the eternal puts a broken garden spray handle into perspective.