Looking for Treasure

A Reflection on the Second Reading for May 2nd, 2021:
Fifth Sunday of Easter

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1 John
3.18-24

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and God knows everything.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever obeys his commandments abides in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

Little children: because He knows all, and we know very little. John addresses us this way in accordance with our identity in God. We are His children, and we will always be, regardless of how much we learn and grow. He whose knowledge is infinite searches our hearts like a masterful treasure hunter. He will spend our entire lives plumbing the depths of our hearts, seeking to reveal His likeness buried far beneath the condemning layers of sin.


Ambivalence, independence, control, judgement, self aggrandizement, greed, sloth: these are merely the blanket of sod resting yards above the treasure trove He has placed within me. The debris, distance, and vast waters surrounding my own personal desert island are dark and isolating at times. How will He ever find me under all this? How dare I ask that He even look my way for all the dirt I have piled on top of me?


The unfathomable truth is: He does look. He is always looking. It is my own heart who has buried me here. My heart condemns. His heart abides. His heart abides because these sins are not the truth of who I am. The truth of who I am is in that treasure chest buried beneath them. As He digs down through the dirt, He finds loose treasures on His way through to me, and He reveals them to remind me who I am. He drags them up into the light, shakes off the dirt, carefully wipes them clean by the purity of His hands and shares them with me, and also with those around me.


This has been a week of much turmoil. There have been many different ways in which uncertainty has reared its ugly head. I can taste my fragility, and I am tempted to let my fears drive me deeper into the sand. This is a sure sign that I have forgotten what God has commanded me. I have forgotten how great He truly is. And so, my most embarrassing confession is that I have not asked Him for reassurance. I have, however, been reassuring others of my prayers for them, perhaps though, forgetting who will be the one to answer them.


This morning, with this reassurance from God in the first letter of John, I will follow the dial on my compass to Love:

Father, I believe in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
I believe You are greater than my heart.
I believe You know everything.
What I ask, I believe You will answer.
I believe You abide in me.


And now, if but for a moment, my treasure chest is lifted out of the ground. The lock is busted loose. The heavy lid creaking open; His gifts beaming in the Light for all to see and share in.

Let’s reach out today and affirm the gifts we see in one another, pray with an expectant faith, remind one another of Who it is we believe in, and share His treasure extravagantly.




Lori MacDonald

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