A precious treasure

Your heart pounded as the king solemnly explained his mission to your surprised ears. You, an ordinary person of a humble lineage, were to carry one of his crown jewels through treacherous forests to be received by the king's son when he reentered the kingdom. "It will not be an easy journey," he continued.  "Many will seek to disorient you, and turn you toward another kingdom. You will hear naysayers, and voices of doubt and fear. There are those who will question why you would risk your life and lay it all on the line for me, when you could be back in the comfort of your home, in the land of self indulgence. 

I did not choose you because you were the most brave, wise, noble, affluent or strong. I chose you because I know your heart...that you are loyal. A man or woman who has crossed the line, signed the roster, pledged his/her allegiance without looking back is worth more to any king, than any special 'gifts' one may have."

As you set out on your journey, his words echoed in your head....'loyal'. You knew that you had nothing to offer to your king....except loyalty.  That though this treasure didn't belong to you, nor was any reward promised, you would live or die to deliver it to the Son.   You would guard it with your life, surrendering comfort and ease for a journey of servant-hood and trials. Then, when you met the King's Son, as he returned home, you would present this treasure joyfully into his care. You would simply state, "I have simply done my duty, as a servant of my King." 

~~~~~

Last weekend, I was discussing education choices with a dear mama friend, and I made the statement "you have some precious treasures", to which she obviously agreed. As I thought about this statement later on, I processed how true it is.  How often have you seen a parent give all they have so their child could have a better education than they did?  How often have you seen teachers bend over backwards to help a struggling student?  Children are our 'precious treasure', for which we gladly pour ourselves out. Even in exhaustion, a mother still rises in the early morning to feed a crying baby.  Even in weariness, a teacher still plans interventions to meet each level of students. 

But in the end, they are never really ours. They are lent to us by our King. And in the end, when his Son returns, we will present these precious ones back to him and say, " I have simply done my duty, as a servant of my King." And He will respond with those words we have eagerly desired to hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:23)

All He asks for is our loyalty, He will take care of the rest.