Value

Once a few years ago my car was broken into.  I had a Bible in a case and a couple of dollars in change in  the console between the seats.   The next day I didn't even realize that anything had been taken until I got a call from the police. Yes, they got the money, but  whoever broke in discovered that what he thought was a  "purse" was actually a Bible and discarded it.   My name and number had been written inside the cover.

Now putting aside the fabulously ironic fact that the thief  had stolen a Bible (I would have loved to have seen the look on his face) what gets me even today is he went to so much trouble to take what I would have gladly given.  Not only that but he kept what amounted to "crumbs" and threw away what was actually priceless.  Unfortunate.

We all do it though -- abandon the irreplaceable for the temporal, the rich for the barren, the rare for the dime a dozen.  The perils of a life of crime notwithstanding, it would be great if everything we encounter came with a tag detailing its value so that we could instantly discern what really matters.   We struggle to stack the deck in our favor by cherry  picking the things that we think will make a happy difference in our lives and let go of everything else.

If the person had taken the $2 or 3 dollars in change he got our of my car, bought a cup of coffee and really looked at the contents of the case he held in his hands he would have been changed.  It was not fate, but an appointment that was missed when he threw it away.   At the very least I hope the admonition  in  the situation was not lost to him.

Here's the thing:  Everything we encounter day in and day out has value.  The dicey part is determining what has value for "now" and what has value for "ever".  Be patient.  Sometimes it takes a while to see what something or someone is really worth   If you look closely you will see that  the cream or the crap in everything rises to the surface.