All My Gold

All of six years old, my youngest son came to me one day showing me his treasures. One of his prize possessions was a “golden” horse candlestick. (I remembered having two of them at one time, but years and moving had managed to “relocate” the other one!) He also had some crystal jewels—I think perhaps from a wedding — as well as a “golden” birthday piece of memorabilia from his past birthday celebration at a well-known children’s pizza establishment. (Take a guess!) While their actual, earthly value would have been extremely low, they meant a lot to him. These were his collections — valuables of his own.

Not long after he had spoken with me about his “treasures” I heard his sister in his room one day. “Why do you have this in here?” she was asking. She couldn’t figure out why he had a golden horse candlestick in his room. “It’s ok,” I told her. “Those are his treasures.”

It was nearing Christmas. We had put up the tree, decorated the mantle, and, on a special little table all it’s own, we had placed the nativity set. It had colored lights and pine needles around it — and our youngest son was especially intrigued. He had moved the wise men closer in — actually right in front of the manger — but, I didn’t bother to fix his rearranging. It didn’t hurt anything — and that was the way he saw them placed, so . . .

One morning, the snow came down heavily, causing “no school.” Everyone was home, most busy with whatever they could find to do. Britton came out of his room and headed for the nativity. In his little hands he held all his treasure — the candlestick, the memorabilia, the crystals . . . But it was what he said that grabbed the hearts of those of us who heard him. Laying it down on the little table he said, “I want to give ALL my gold to Jesus.”

He laid it all down on — right by the wise men — and ran off to play.

All his gold — given to Jesus. All his treasure — laid right on the table. Later, I looked closer. Two of his “jewels” were right on baby Jesus! I had to smile — he certainly wanted to make sure Jesus had them.

While the gold wasn’t “real” and the crystals weren’t “genuine” to my son they were the very best treasure he had. In the whole scheme of things the heart is what matters. All we have, all we are given freely and willingly to Jesus — that is the gift He desires. And . . . Shouldn’t we think about what He wants? After all, it is His birthday!

Take it with You

“After they had heard the king they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

Matthew 2:9-11