*I received an email a
few weeks ago that touched my heart so deeply I had to share it. It was written
by a precious lady that serves wholeheartedly in our church. Her heart is so tender
and pure that I knew her story was earnest while reflective. Thank you to
Gabriella Nagy for writing this beautiful story and allowing me to share it
with the Journal family.
The Treasure Box
A few weeks ago, God reminded me of a “little story” that I
wrote more that fifteen years ago. I kept it in the back of my Hungarian Bible
for so long and never shared it with anyone, except my family.
I married a missionary and that life came with a lot of
moving. When our daughter was three years old, we moved back to America. We
told her she could only bring a few of her favorite toys that could fit in a
small box. Once we were back in the states, we moved three times in six months.
Our daughter still carried her little box with her everywhere she went; we
started calling it her treasure box. Gabriella wouldn’t let anyone touch this
box; it was very precious to her. In her eyes, everything in it was extremely
valuable.
One day, we moved into my brother in-law’s basement so I was
very busy cleaning, unpacking, and moving things around. I was determined to
finish everything by the time my husband came home from work. In the middle of
my work, little Gabriella came to me holding her treasure box and said, “Mommy,
here is my box. You can pick anything
you want from my box and keep it but please, will you play with me?” I told her
I was busy right then but I would play with her when I was done.
The day went by quickly, and it was nighttime, before I
realized my daughter had fallen asleep. As I covered her with a blanket, I looked
at her sweet face and thought she looked like a beautiful little angel. In that
moment something caught my eye beside her pillow…it was the treasure box. Only then
did I remember my promise to her. My heart broke and tears filled my eyes. I
realized that when she offered me that box, filled with her precious little
toys, she had offered me her love. It
was though she was saying, “Mommy, I love you and I’ll give you anything you
want if you’ll just spend time with me.” I was so hurt knowing that I’d ignored
her and now, it was too late…I’d missed a valuable moment.
Just then, I sensed God speaking to my heart and teaching me
an important lesson. “My child, He gently whispered, I also have a treasure box
sent from Heaven filled with many gifts; I gave it to the world out of my great
love. This treasure is Jesus. Many people are too busy to take the time to
accept what he offers. They may take the time to take a glance at him but they
never open the treasure nor accept it as their own. In Him, are the treasures
of love, peace, forgiveness, healing and so much more! I gave my greatest
treasure to the world…my son, Jesus Christ. All people have to do is accept
this gift by opening their hearts and receiving it.”
I learned a life-changing lesson that day. What will we do
with this treasure offered to us by God? I hope you won’t be like me; too busy
to stop, look at my daughter’s treasure box, and accept it with love. To us,
Jesus is that treasure box. He wants us to realize that we can access all the
great treasures found in Him and just like my daughter did, we can carry it
with us wherever we go.