Commentary by Rev. Michael VandenBerg
Presbyterian Minister Frederick Buechner once said, “If we have our wits about us, almost anything we look at has treasure buried in it.”
He tells us that even things as mundane as numbers can trigger very intense emotions as we remember the age we were when we first fell in love, the phone number of our first home 20 years after we last called it, or even the number of stairs we climb to our child’s room.
The key is being aware of what is happening around us. Do we notice the little things that often go unnoticed? Do we notice the sunset that appears in the midst of our gloomiest of days, a call from a longtime friend when we are feeling alone or the sudden disappearance of a pain that has plagued us for weeks?
God want us to not only notice but also appreciate the little — as well as the big — things in life, for in them we often find our way back to Him. Have you ever noticed, even for you who are strong in your faith, that in spite of the abundance of blessings God has provided, when we are faced with adversity we begin to lose sight of God or even feel our faith diminish, wondering if God really cares?
As human beings we are susceptible to our own self-centered and broken lives, distracting us from what we should know to be true, “God loves you and continues to bless you.” When this happens we should remember God’s call to us, “Come to me, all who are laboring hard and carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest.”
We all at times look for a miracle to come and lift the burden weighing us down, but perhaps with proper vision, we can see big miracles in the little things around us. We see them in the unexpected encouraging word, the offer of help from an unexpected source or the freshness in a simple change of environment. Finding the treasure buried in the little things of life is as simple as keeping our eyes wide open and expecting the best of God.
Miracles are all around us every day. Sometimes they come with God breaking into everyday events. Sometimes bigger miracles come from ordinary people and things around us, and often we ourselves become the catalyst for God’s miracles just by showing up.
Keep your wits about you and you will find the buried treasures that God has placed there for your discovery.
