Thought for the Day 4th April 2002

Storing up Treasures

Every Tuesday and Friday the Euromillions Lottery is drawn and anyone who takes part hopes to win the jackpot. Everyone has a plan in place with regard to what they would spend the bonanza on:

A new palatial house, a dream car, a holiday of a lifetime, a yacht, a second- or even third- home, a trust fund for our family, a donation to charity….

the list could go on and on. You could really store a few treasures and be very comfortable for the rest of your life.

But could there be a downside? Might we become obsessed with wealth? Might we move away from our family and friends? Might we gather ‘hangers-on’ and people we feel we can’t trust? Would loneliness and isolation beckon us?

Whoever and wherever we are, the Corona virus pandemic has made us all take a sharp intake of breath and evaluate what is important and vital.

My Mam, who was a very wise woman, had a saying:

‘An ounce of love and kindness when someone is alive is worth more than a ton of regret when they are gone.’ - She very quietly lived her life being true to that phrase.

As I look around and watch the news, I see so many acts of love and kindness: neighbourly acts and true concern and love for the communities in which we live, and the wider world. Maybe, just maybe, we are as a people of God, storing up treasures in heaven.

We get a very clear guide and instruction from Jesus on how to store up our treasures in heaven when He speaks to his disciples through the Sermon on the Mount, it was a wake-up call to the disciples then, it is for us now.

The corona virus crisis will eventually come to an end. I pray that, when we look back and remember, we will continue to store up treasures in heaven by our prayers, actions and love for one another.

God Bless. Clement Morrison