My old, tacky ring

My eyes widened as I opened the small, brown cardboard box. Everything in it seemed to sparkle and glisten. The wheels began to turn as I imagined the fun I would have – adorning my neck with beads for dress-up, wearing a fancy bracelet for prom, and dreaming of possibilities of events to come. I sorted through and found as many pieces of jewelry as I dreamt could be used for something and asked my mom if they could be mine. She had just gotten back from her grandmother’s funeral and estate sale in California and had brought back the costume jewelry that now captivated my attention. I received permission to have a few pieces as my own, to remember my great-grandmother.

 

My grandmother was a small-framed and frail lady, with sparkling blue eyes and a feisty attitude. I remember seeing old pictures of her dolled up in her finest faux jewels, but I had no idea about all the treasures she possessed. After picking out a few prized possessions I hurried to my room to add them to my jewelry box, where I would pull them out at any time and pretend to be a princess, or a queen, or at the prom, or whatever occasion I was playing that called for a little bling. For years I kept the treasures tucked away in a jewelry box or a drawer and pulled them out on occasion to review their beauty.

 

One of the pieces I had chosen was a very tacky looking ring. It was a gold band with clear stones on the top in a tear drop pattern. I consistently asked my mom and my grandma if they thought the ring was real, to which they assured me that it “absolutely, positively was not.” I played with the ring all the time and kept it with me as I grew older. I treasured it because it reminded me of my grandma, but for no other reason. I had been assured there was no real worth beyond the sentimental.

 

About a year and a half ago, a ring my parents had given me (which I wore every day) broke and needed to be fixed. Grabbing my pieces of the ring I always wore, I decided to head to the jewelry store and for some reason decided take my grandmother’s ring with me just for fun, as well. As I was speaking to the jeweler I let him know that one of my rings had broken & needed to be fixed, but the other one was costume jewelry from my great grandmother. Sheepishly I asked the jeweler if there was any way he would look to see if my tacky ring could be real. I explained to him that I KNEW it wasn’t real and that I was TOTALLY ok with it not being real because it was so sentimental to me, but if he would “maybe, um, just check that would be great.” He told me it would be about 30 minutes and then I could pick up both rings. I gladly perused the mall and went back to the jewelry store about an hour later.

 

The jeweler handed me my rings and I asked him what he found out about my grandmother’s. He began: “well, you see, the big stone here is taken from…” Before he could utter another word, I took the beginning phrase as his way of letting me down easily. I quickly said “that’s fine. It’s no big deal. Even though the ring’s not real, I still like it. I mean, it’s my grandma’s, so I’ll always like it, thanks.” With a little grin he began again, “No, the ring is definitely real. All these stones are diamonds. You probably have over a half carat worth of diamonds here.” My eyes turned to saucers, my chin dropped, and I waited for someone to yell ‘Psyche! We got you!’ I don’t remember what the jeweler said after that, something about how much the ring could be worth, but I left the store with a treasure worth more than I could have imagined. And I had carried the treasure around for years.

 

My ring was tacky looking and old and had been thrown in a box of costume jewelry – all signs pointing to its insignificance. But after searching the matter out, having someone in authority take a look at it, I found that it was a true treasure both to my heart and in the world. The bible says “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of Kings to search it out.” (Proverbs 25:2) I believe He has hidden His great treasures and is waiting for us to search them out. There are things that we’ve been carrying around with us for years – dreams, ideas, hopes, revelations, etc. – believing that they are insignificant, worth nothing to anyone but ourselves. Today I want you to know that as you search out God’s heart towards the treasures hidden in yours, He will begin to reveal the value of those things that He gave you in the first place. He wants to bless you in the search. It’s not a wild goose chase, it’s a treasure hunt. Press into the Father’s heart; ask him about your dreams – the steps he would have you take, how he sees them in His plan, and if He would bring them to fruition. Lean in to the Lord to see what He says about the revelations that come to you when you pray and when you spend time with him and even in your day to day life.

 

He often conceals His treasures in order to bless those who are willing to search them out.  

 

So today, let’s go on a treasure hunt. Let’s search out the Father’s heart about the hidden things in ours. Hear the Father say to you today, “If you seek me, you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.”