Wanting It All
FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. (St. Matthew 13:44)
Her telephone rang, she looked at the screen and realized that it was her best friend calling. Today is her birthday, so it would be the usual Happy Birthday Song being sweetly sung on the other end of the line. This time it was a video call so she would actually see her lips moving.
Only, there was a third person on the call; “how could she call with someone else”? she thought; I’m not even out of bed yet. A good look and she realized that it was Oprah Winfrey on the video call with a big smile on her face. “Happy Birthday Zariah”! she exclaimed. The scream was so loud the house shook.
How did we get from a man in a field finding treasure to a girl screaming because Oprah Winfrey was on her phone screen? It’s about wanting it all. So however Zariah’s best friend got connected with Oprah is another story. Oprah Winfrey was Zariah’s favourite person in teh world. She admired her, and aspired to be like her.
This was a dream come true for her. What next would she do? What is you had a chance to meet a famous person you admired and desired to be like. What would be your reaction? What would you want to happen after the first meeting.
In studying the Ministry of Jesus we find that He taught a great deal about the Kingdom of Heaven; it seemed to be a very important topic and he used different analogies to help His disciples to better understand the Kingdom of God. St. Matthew records one of Jesus’s teaching on the Kingdom; this is what He said:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
St.Matthew 13:44
Today’s topic is: “Wanting It All“, and we are still focusing on the theme for the week: The Call of God. What is the “All of which we will speak? Well for the man in the field who found a treasure, he went and sold “All” he had so he could buy the field. Why do you think he would do that? That treasure must have been huge and valuable!!
In sharing this parable, Jesus was teaching that the “Kingdom of Heaven” has great value; in essence, it is priceless. The devotional topic on January 4 was First Things First. In St. Matthew 6:22, we are encouraged to seek the Kingdom of God first; the promise for doing so is that all other things would be added. This parable of the man in the field who found a treasure seemingly experienced the fulfillment of a promise- the treasure he found was worth quite a bit; even more than he currently had, so much so that he sold everything.
Let’s check in on Zariah to see how her birthday is going. So after the excitement dies down, Zariah asks her best friend how did she get connected with Oprah. Her friend told her the story about having won a competition online to spend a week with Oprah; she had wanted to surprise her for her birthday so she didn’t tell her. Oprah seemed to like Amani too, and was sharing some words of wisdom with her.
Zariah could not believe what she was hearing; her best friend was actually being mentored by her most favourite person in the world. She wished it was her, but she knew that her best friend would give her an opportunity to get some face time with Oprah too. She was sure of it. Can you imagine what Zariah would want from Oprah? If you met your favourite person, what would you want from him, or her? You can share with us later.
Let us make the connection between the man and the treasure, and Zariah’s video call with Oprah. The man in the field recognized the value in the treasure he found; suddenly, what he presently owned was useless, so he went away and got rid of it. It may be that what was in the treasure was what he longed for all his life. Is there something that you too long for and would give up everything to get?
Zariah had admired Oprah for along time; she may or may not have thought she would meet her one day; even if it’s via a video call. This was for her a dream come true; would Zariah sell all she has too? Maybe not, but what would you do?
I admire Oprah too, and hope to met her one day. Would you like to know what I would want if I met Oprah? Let me tell you.. I would want her direct telephone number- the cellular one with WhatsApp access. I need her email address, to be her friend on Facebook, follow her on Instagram, and have her follow me back. I want to love, and comment on her posts, and I expect that she will comment and love my posts too. I want access to reach out to her when I want to talk, or need advice, and I want her undivided attention when we speak. I know, I want a lot…but for who she is, and what she is worth, I want it all.
When Jesus talked about the Kingdom of Heaven being like a man who found treasure and sold all he had; He inferred that the man wanted the whole field, not just the treasure he found. Surely, he would be digging some more because of the possibility of finding even more valuable treasure. In sharing this parable, Jesus wants us to understand the great value of our relationship, and connection with God, the Father.
The man who discovered the treasure in the field would only be able to discover more treasure if he owned the field; if he rented, borrowed it, or just worked in it, he would not have the access or right to what was on it, so he bought it. When he does, the whole field would be his to do whatever he wanted to do.
The same access to “valuable treasure” is ours to have when we give our all to God; our full surrender is evidence that we Want It All, and God’s responses to us will be to Give Us All. Understanding the value of a close relationship with God takes time; but it is worth investing the time to find out. To find treasure we have to dig; let’s dig deep into the Word of God to learn about Him and His plans and promises.
Let’s say I only had Oprah’s telephone contact, and she decided to change her number; how would I contact her? Having her contact on very possible media would mean that it is harder to loose touch with her. In the same way we should desire close connection with our Creator. He is the Source of life in all its forms, and there is no treasure, nor famous person that can be compared to Him. In Wanting It All, we can Have It All. Let us desire to have more and more of God everyday.
LET US PRAY
Dear Heavenly Father,
Treasures are great to have, especially because they can bring us much comfort and confidence that we will not have lack. Yet, treasures can get lost or stolen or consumed in fire.
Your Word tells us to “store up treasures in Heaven where moths and vermin cannot destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. (St. Matthew 6:19-20). I want You to be my treasure – I want all of You and all that You have in store for me.
I know that Having It All requires that I Give All of Myself to You so You can mold me and make me into the woman you created me to be. Help me to desire You more than anything else in the world. I want my life to reflect Your glory, but I need Your direction to do what You desire for me to do. I Want It All, please help me to have it. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer.
I pray in Jesus’s Name. Amen
