National Treasures

What do we treasure and why? Webster defines the verb "to treasure" as : 1 : to collect and store up (something of value) for future use : hoard 2 : to hold or keep as precious : cherish, prize . So My question is what do we store up for future use, what do we hold dear. On this post you see the Washington monument also known as a "National Treasure". One national treasure in particular is the Constitution of the United States, it is so important to that is stored in a impregnable safe, with massive amounts of security. In fact in case of a direct nuclear attack the constitution actually drops down into its own nuclear fall out shelter buried deep within the earth. Clearly its important. There are others: Lincoln's monument, Washington's, there is Mount Rushmore, And the Statue of Liberty. All of them are have security and millions of dollars every year is spent in there preservation. Why? Is it the materials there made of. Washington and Lincoln are marble, Rushmore is not different than the rock around it, Liberty is made of copper. None of these materials are extremely valuable. So why the guards and the fences. Its what they represent that is so important. Its the memories they hold that are important. Its they damage that would be done to our country if what they represent was ever lost. That's why they are guarded to ensure these monuments are always before us reminding us of who we are and what we represent.

What do you treasure. I have a collection of things I treasure. A lot of people like to take pictures but I like to collect nick knacks, and not the cheesy souvenirs you find at the airport gift shop. I like the unusual the things that people will ask me why I keep them. That way I can tell the story and I will be reminded. I keep a piece of an armored vehicle that I drove in Korea, and a shirt given to me in Indonesia. The shirt has no writings its not even fashionable, the vehicle piece is ugly and worn. Why do I keep them. The shirt was given to me by a man in Indonesia, I made such an impact in his life he wanted something for me to remember him by so he gave me the shirt of his back. The vehicle piece is so important that with out it functioning properly my vehicle should have rolled over and myself and all its occupants would have most probably died. I keep it because after 12 hour drive I found out it hadn't been working properly and that nothing short of a miracle kept that vehicle safe. These are the things I treasure that I want to be reminded of later, that I want others to see. They remind of who god is and what he represents and therefore remind me of who I should be and how I should be representing him. Its the Christmas season. Read Luke chapter 2. You will read of all the fan fare of Jesus birth, angels singing and men and woman prophesying. Read it carefully, because in it you will read in the midst of all this it says, not once but twice, " And Mary treasured all this things in her heart". She was storing up these treasures for later, so not matter what happened she would be reminded of who Jesus was and what he represented. To all of us in the out there let us take time to store up treasures in our heart so we may always be reminded of who Jesus is and what he represents.