Stop for a minute and think about this:  How many movies can you think of that center their story lines on hunting for a treasure of some kind?  What are the first five that come to mind?  If you're like me, it wasn't all that hard to come up with a list. 

The world is fascinated with the notion of finding a source of incredible worth.  Whether the driver is a desire to be immensely rich or whether its the thrill of the hunt that fuels the passion, treasure hunting clearly captures our imaginations.

So in the spirit of the hunt, our family set off one weekend to geocache.  Now for those unfamiliar with the concept, here are the basics.  Someone goes out to a remote place and hides an object, often in a sturdy box.  Then the hider posts the GPS coordinates or clues leading would-be treasure hunters to the target spot.  In more elaborate systems, the box may contain dozens of treasures.  And the hunters are free to take one item of their choosing, but are expected to leave something in its place.

So off we go in search of our treasures!  After a lengthy drive and a few wrong turns we start the trek through the woods.  Stooping, peering and poking around we finally find the treasure box carefully tucked under a shrub at the base of a  big tree.  Excitedly we pulled it out into the open and flung open the lid. 

And the treasure?  Well, if you've ever geocached, you're probably laughing at that thought.  What was inside, typical to most of these boxes, were dozens of the most random set of objects imaginable...coins, stamps, small toys, patches, gadgets of all kinds.  Imagine that everyone in your family gathered up all the random little things laying around in their rooms or stuffed in the back of their junk drawers and threw them all in a box....now you've got the picture.  The most valuable item in the box was a "traveling" dollar bill.  But you couldn't keep it; you could only carry it to another box (aka help it travel).  Sum total value of the entire contents?  I'm guessing about $3.27 and that's probably generous.  Considering the gas, travel time, snacks to sustain us on the hunt, I wouldn't say the monetary value was a very good return on our investment.

Now, of course, this was all a game and we had no real expectations of coming home independently wealthy.  However, I wonder if this small treasure hunt doesn't sometime mirror our lives.

The Psalmist writes:

"Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things

and give me life in Your ways." 

Psalm 119:37

Do you ever find yourself trailing after this treasure or that treasure only to find the end goal to be a waste of your time?  We spin our wheels and spend our energy in pursuit of the worthless, the trivial, the fleeting.  We wear ourselves out hunting and pushing toward gains that leave us feeling empty and disappointed.

The remedy?  Three simple verses point us to a treasure well worth the hunt.  Appealing to our sense of taste, our desire for clear direction and our love of a good treasure hunt, we read:

The ultimate treasure hunt, then, is in seeking God through the precious words He has spoken, guiding us to His salvation.

"My soul longs for Your salvation.

I hope in Your word."

Psalm 119:81

What treasures are you seeking?

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Thanks for reading.

Rachel