Sometimes, treasure lies buried in a field.
Other times, treasure is obscured in jars of clay.
I found treasure in a dark subway platform in New York City.
My husband Phil and I were in NYC for a trip celebrating our 20th anniversary. We rode the subway several times, since it’s much cheaper and often much quicker than taking above-ground transportation. One time, as we exited the subway and started toward the stairs to take us back to the real world, I heard music playing.
Sweet, beautiful, pure music.
I turned in the dimness to see a man playing a pan flute. As the notes of “How Great Is Our God” soared (yes, somehow soared, even on a subway platform) through the air, I stopped. I caught Phil’s attention, and he and I walked over to the man, who was standing next to a suitcase that lay open on the ground next to him. Inside were stacks of two different CD’s.
The music was incredibly well-played and so very, very peaceful. I bought both CD’s.
Treasure on a New York City subway platform.
It would have been easy to pass the man by. In NYC, you get used to ignoring people in the subway. Nobody pays attention to anybody else, really. But this time, for some reason, I paid attention, and I discovered treasure—two beautiful CD’s of some of my favorite music, and a connection between me and a perfect stranger as we chatted.
I wonder how much treasure you and I miss every day because we’re not really paying attention.
How many diamonds does God place right out there in the open for us to discover if we’ll only focus outward?
Obviously, yes, we have to consider our schedules, our duties, our relationships, our circumstances. But when we focus on them to the exclusion of seeing anything else God might place in our path, we miss beauty. We miss treasure.
May God open our eyes to see His treasures all around us.
Even in shadowy, unexpected places like a NYC subway platform.
Isaiah 45:3—And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name. (NLT)