Hidden part 3
Something being hidden doesn't make it of less value. In fact, that usually increases the value. Buried treasure.Every pirate's dream. Which is, by the way, exactly what we're talking about in this Rant series. Only without the parrot and peg leg. Look at Isaiah 45:3, "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." God gives to us so that we will know who He is. Because God is love. And love is giving. Only by giving Himself to us could He truly help us understand who He is. Understand who WE are. Because as He is, so are we in this world. He gave... so we could give. We love, because He first loved us. We give because He has given us something to give. And just because it's hidden deep down inside doesn't mean it can't get out. It simply means its that much more powerful, that much more valuable, when it does. When you give what you've got... when you put in the effort to find out how you can give what you've got in the best way... that's when what was hidden is revealed. That's when the Christ is us comes out of us for all to see. Out of the secret place. The heart. Out of the heart flows the issue of life. Love is the issue of life. Love is what its all about. To live is to love and to love is to live. Love is the reason we live, and love is the reason we CAN live. So even though sometimes it feels like it is hidden (or buried) under "stuff"... that doesn't mean its not valuable. That doesn't mean its not worth the maximum effort of letting it out. And, please listen to this, that maximum effort is NOT works and labor. It is faith. Believing that love is in there is what lets it out. Knowing and believing that what we have is enough, and then giving what we have, is the effort. Sometimes we have to unbury it. By letting go of the "stuff" that has piled up on it. Someone hurts you and you think you'll never get over it. Never get past it. Never love again. But that doesn't have to be YOUR truth, because that surely isn't THE truth. The ultimate truth of the universe says, "God is love and He loves you." Nothing can change that. No matter how badly you've been hurt... you are loved. Always have been, always will be. There's a treasure inside you. You are valuable. You ARE good enough. What you have to offer is just exactly what someone needs. Now, having said that, I always say, "I'm not for everybody." And that's ok. You don't need to reach everybody. Just stay in your lane and do what you can do for the poeple you CAN reach. Charity starts at home. I think it was Mother Teresa who said, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." Love everybody, yes, but don't try to overreach or over-extend. Love everybody that you come into contact with. And if someone doesn't pick up what you're laying down... don't even worry about it. Do what you can do. Do your best and forget the rest. That buried treasure was given by God so that we might know who He is. So that what's buried in us can come to the surface and people can know who WE really are!