The name of my story today is “The Two Treasures.” 

Treasure # 1

Barabas was at the kitchen table when Uncle Floyd brought in a little package and said “Son, I reckon I should give this to you now that you are growing up and becoming more responsible.”  Uncle Floyd handed him a tiny box.

I wonder what this could be?  Barabas opened it and found a little butterfly pin.   See?  It’s pretty, but what would Barabas do with this?  It’s not exactly what a second grade boy would wear!

“That belonged to your mother.” explained Uncle Floyd.  “I reckon you should keep it in a safe place as a remembrance of her.  She loved butterflies.”

Barabas almost lost his breath. “My mother?!  This is awesome!”   Suddenly the butterfly pin became beautiful.  He looked at every detail of it.  He touched it and thought that his mother must have also touched it.  He wondered if any of her touch was left on it.

You may remember that Barabas lives with his Uncle Floyd because his mother died and his father WAS in jail, but now he is released from jail and he has a job as a janitor at the Disney Internet Group on Lenkershim Blvd. in North Hollywood in California.

“I reckon you’ll want to keep that someplace safe, so that it doesn’t get lost.” said Uncle Floyd.

Where would you put a treasure like this, maybe in a little box on your desk, or maybe in the drawer in your night stand?  Barabas decided to put it in his underwear drawer because that way he would see it every day and it would be in a safe place.  It is something that you would want to guard carefully so that it would not get lost or forgotten, because this is a special treasure!

Treasure #2

When you were baptized you were adopted into the Family of God.  And according to his plan for you, you received a gift, a treasure that is within you.  This was given to all of us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.

I wonder what this could be?  (open envelope)

This card says:  A SPIRIT OF POWER         A SPIRIT OF LOVE             A SPIRIT OF SELF-DISCIPLINE

This is nice but what do we do with it?  Well, these are treasures that God has given us.  Kind of like three gifts in one, because they are all bundled together.  We have POWER to do God’s work.  We have LOVE to give to everyone we meet.  We have SELF-DISCIPLINE so that we use our best behavior when we show POWER and LOVE. 

Where should we put a treasure like this?  Not in our underwear drawer, that is for sure!  No, we would put this treasure someplace where we can guard it 24 hours a day.  We can put it in our heart.  Inside you, right here. 

Barabas will open his underwear drawer every day and see the butterfly treasure that was his mother’s and he will look at it.

Every time we open our heart we will find POWER and LOVE and SELF-DISCIPLINE.  But we need to do more than to just LOOK at this treasure.  We need to USE this treasure . . . every day.              

POWER         LOVE         SELF-DISCIPLINE                                                      

THE END

Printer friendly copy of this story