"Looking For Pennies"

Too many are looking for pennies in their lives. It was told of a little boy walking down the street one day and he found a new shiny copper penny. He was thrilled finding it, especially when he realized it cost him nothing! This experience in his life as a little boy impacted him greatly and he spent the rest of the days of his life walking with his head down, eyes wide open, looking for treasures. He logged each and every treasure. During his lifetime he found 296 pennies, 48 nickles, 19 dimes, 2 half dollars and one crinkled dollar bill...total: $13.26!

He found all his treasure for nothing. But there is another side. In the process of his life-long search, he missed 31,369 sunsets, the brilliant colors of 157 rainbows, the shimmering colors of maple trees in the autumn air. He rarely noticed the clouds as they drifted by in the blue sky above moving into various forms. He didn't hear the birds sing and watch them flutter around. He missed the smiles of many and the happy faces a little children. All of these things were missing from his memory because he lived looking down, engaging his life in a search for his personal free treasure.

How many of us miss the important and wonderful things in life because of our pursuits of treasures? Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt. 6:21) What you value, what you place importance on will determine the direction of your life. If you value your career, your heart will take you into putting all your efforts there. Many fritter their lives away chasing after this pleasure or seeking a hobby they enjoy. Their extra funds go toward this and it consumes their thinking. Their heart is attached and the real things, the things that count that will last eternally are just walking on past. The saddest part is something disastrous happens in the lives of these people and they start speaking about "life" and what really matters. Their tears flow freely, speaking about what they have wasted, wishing they hadn't done what they did. They speak of turning around, making a renewed effort because where their pursuits have taken them. People that are close to them are gone and it grieves their heart they never did something, give a call or say goodbye. But time passes, slowly but surely their heart never really changed. It was just an emotional outburst and you see them headed where their heart is set...looking for pennies!