What a Thief Cannot Steal

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy,

and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys,

and where thieves do not break in or steal;
for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

~ Jesus, Matthew 6:19-21

Yesterday evening I carpooled with my friend, Heidi, to a Mariner's game for a girls' night at "Stitch and Pitch" - a knitting night at Safeco Field. (The Mariner's were playing the Oakland A's.) It was sunny and hot out as we maneuvered through the busy Seattle streets and laughed about the strange craziness that is downtown Seattle. I paid $10 to one of four parking lot attendants for a parking spot in a lot right across the street from the stadium.

We were giddy as we walked to the ballpark. (Walked is a relative term. Heidi walked, and I hustled my bustle to match her long strides.) While waiting to cross the street, a sample lady working the corner crammed seven packets of Advil into my hands saying, "Here." I didn't realize at the time this was a foreshadowing of the headache to come.

We had a great time at the game. We joined up with some very cool ladies from our church in the nosebleed section and munched on junk food. Heidi had pizza and lemonade. I had a pretzel with cheese and a snow cone. Some of the girls introduced us to a tasty but awfully smelly snack - garlic fries. After a single fry I was breathing garlic for the rest of the night. And yes, I even learned a bit about knitting. (Thanks Heidi, Shanny & Sonya!)

At the beginning of the 8th inning, Heidi and I decided to leave to avoid the impending traffic jam. We got caught up in a knitting conversation though, so we didn't leave until the beginning of the 9th. It was a beautiful night and as we walked through a crowd of people back to the parking lot we talked about the Lord. I told Heidi about a blog I've almost finished writing about keeping my eyes on Jesus at all times. (Look for it in the near future.) I was absorbed in our conversation and still gabbing as I opened the driver's side door of my van.

Heidi already had her door open and uttered a hushed, "Oh no." I looked inside and my brain registered the ugly truth that my van had been broken into and ransacked. The passenger window was shattered and my stereo, 40+ cds, a makeup bag, a cute trash basket (which they probably loaded with loot), my stash of quarters, and who knows what else was gone. I was probably looking at a thousand dollar loss. My bible lay on my seat and a few children's cds were tossed aside. Pieces of glass filled every crevice. Plastic stereo trim lay broken. A gouge on the dashboard left evidence of the crowbar they used to pry my stereo out.

The past few weeks have filled with trials, so this was the distasteful icing on a very stale two week old cake. As I surveyed the damage frustrated tears sprang up and I let myself start to cry. I was angry at this latest attack on my joy and frustrated because I just didn't have the time to deal with this rude interruption in my life. Not to mention the money. Want to know something ironic? I had just paid for the stereo that very morning! My parents had charged it on one of those 6 month interest-free plans while they were visiting a few months ago.

I didn't cry for long. I felt my Lord calmly whisper that this stuff isn't my treasure. It's not important. All of it is replaceable and wouldn't come with me to heaven anyway. A little while later I started to get angry again and say, "What a nightmare." But I stopped myself and thought, No. It really isn't. I could list a dozen things off the top of my head that would actually be a nightmare. I am a blessed woman. My family is healthy. We have the love of Jesus our Savior. We have eternal life. And we're surrounded by wonderful friends and family. I decided right there I'd let the enemy rob me of my joy too many times in the last few weeks, and that was long enough.

We left the dark, nearly abandoned parking lot and as I drove my sweet friend prayed for me. She let the wind whip through her hair as we drove down the freeway, heater blasting. We laughed about our instinct to roll up the window. We laughed when I put on and quickly took off my glasses after looking out through a thief's dirty fingerprints. She helped me vacuum out the leftover glass, crumbs and trash. Then we went out for burgers, fries and frostys. And she gave me a much needed hug at the end of a stressful night. What a treasured friendship.

Today, I've got a big smile on my face and am filled with joy and peace. This morning I remembered the spare set of van and house keys I found in my glove box just before I left for the game. They'd been missing for awhile and I still don't know how they got there. What a disaster that could have been. Also, I thought about our delay leaving the stadium. Had we left sooner, we may have been physically harmed. The Lord, our Protector, was looking out for us and for my family.

God is in control no matter what storm thunders into our lives. Our response to these storms reveals our faith. The Lord loves us and everything that touches our lives is filtered through His fingers. Do we really trust that He knows best? The things of this world are just things. Our true treasure is in heaven and I intend to spend the rest of my life pursuing it. So let me ask you this: Where is your heart?