During Christmas, our family hides small gifts all around the house. The children find it so enjoyable to search for these gifts. Treasures are hidden within our everyday lives. They could be hidden in closets, under dining tables, within blankets, or by the door we always pass by. Treasures are hidden behind very ordinary things. Because they are hidden amidst our familiarity, treasures often go unnoticed. You must look beyond familiarity to see the treasure.
When I teach children about gratitude, I often explain that finding things to be thankful for is like a treasure hunt. Our treasures are also hidden within our everyday lives. We must have faith that treasures are hidden within the familiarity of our daily lives. Once we discover these hidden treasures, they become our precious possessions. Rediscovering this preciousness is what 'gratitude' is all about.
It seems that the existence of family often becomes something taken for granted and familiar.
Husband and wife. Even though they got married out of love, somehow the precious wife becomes taken for granted by the husband over time. That precious treasure ends up being buried under the familiarity of daily life, ignored and sometimes even mistreated. And gratitude is lost. Even parents aren't a given presence. Many children, buried under the weight of familiarity, fail to recognize the preciousness of their parents. To some children, the existence of parents can be something they yearn for deeply throughout their lives...
Fellow believers in the church, living a life of faith together as Jesus' family, are also precious treasures. When I entered the military, among the many soldiers, there were only a few who truly believed in Jesus. There was no one with whom I could comfortably share stories about God. I longed for my Christian brothers and sisters dearly. Eventually, during my leave, I visited the Christian club I used to attend. I was so eager to meet them again. However, inside that gathering, friends didn't realize each other's preciousness and were divided. I remember feeling deeply saddened as I talked to the children about this. If we overlook the preciousness of these familiar bonds we have now, we will come to realize their value eventually. Familiarity breeds complacency, and complacency breeds disrespect. There's no such saying as "do it well while you have it." And so, we live without truly cherishing the treasures.
Following the shepherd…
Pastor Jiwon Choi