A field of gold
ONE OF THE greatest challenges facing anyone with a God-given dream is keeping things in balance—not losing sight of what’s around because you are so intent on seeing what’s up ahead. Jesus was resolute in His mission, but He still managed to find time for unexpected interruptions, meaningful friendships and the occasional party.
Sadly, all too often visionaries, entrepreneurs and changemakers can be so focused on impacting others that those closest to them get overlooked. They are so busy working in the fields that are white unto harvest (John 4:35) that they neglect the nurture of their land at home. Their “first love” overshadows their true love.
It’s often well-intentioned oversight. Yes, some may pursue making a difference from a place of need, to fill some unaddressed hunger for significance, but for many it’s a noble pursuit. They are like the man Jesus talked about in Matthew 13, who found treasure hidden in a field (the kingdom of heaven), and “in his joy went” (v. 44) and sold all he had to buy the land. They go all-in.
But we don’t only make that choice for the kingdom. When we marry, we give up everyone else and everything for the one we love. We have a territory, if you will, to cultivate with our spouse—like Adam and Eve in the original garden.
Maybe you’ve been so intent on your field of endeavor away from home, whether it’s in business or in ministry, or some area of endeavor in which God has called you to make a difference, that your domestic plot has become overgrown. Instead of fruit, there are weeds. Stony ground. If so, all is not lost—just mislocated, maybe. Your treasure is still there somewhere, waiting to be rediscovered.
The man in Jesus’s parable probably didn’t put a sign up saying “X marks the spot” when he went off to sell everything to finance his purchase. After all, he wouldn’t have wanted to advertise what he had left there. He may have left some pointers to help, but he most likely had to do some digging to find that treasure again. Maybe he had to get down on his knees and get his hands dirty.
But it was worth it. In the same way, if you have lost your true love somewhere, they are still to be found. As you start to search, you’ll probably spot some clues that you are in the right direction. You might have to turn over some old ground and it may get a bit messy. But when you rediscover that treasure, it will have been worth the effort.
AndyButcherOnline 
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