What We Value Most

 

As I awaken to a cold morning of sleet and snow, I couldn’t help but wonder about a picture I took a couple of days ago. I’m always intrigued when I come across random bits of clothing as I walk through my life. The first question that comes to my mind is simple: “How does the person not know they lost this?” A pair of glasses here. A random sock there. A lone shoe. A pair of pants.

It appears that someone had left one glove on the playground after an active time of fun and play. As the cold air greeted me this morning, I imagined the search that will ensue when they need to venture out into the winter storm. Suddenly the unnoticed lost glove will be of primary importance. Every coat pocket will be searched. The car will be inspected. I have no doubt that the lost glove will finally be missed.

At different times in our lives, priorities change and we come to value things differently. Things to which we gave little thought become important, while things we thought were crucial fade away. Like this change in weather and the lost glove, circumstances move us to reassess and evaluate our lives. We may give little thought to our health, until our health takes a turn for the worse. We may disregard the value of friends, until we really need one. We may have little compassion for others, until we find ourselves in hard times. We may find little time for God, until we feel we have no place left to turn. Such moments lead us to see what really matters.

Jesus taught, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Perhaps as the weather slows us down a bit, we can think on what we value most. Who knows? Maybe we will find the glove that fits our life right now.

Peace.