Buried Treasures

The other day I was looking at a picture of my three oldest children, a wonderful picture of them together that just melts my heart. (The picture was taken about 17 years ago. The oldest of the three was about 4 ½ in the picture.)

My family is precious to me; they are my treasures.
Not because I own them or control them. I don’t.

Partly, they are precious to me because of what I’ve given to them, and because of the love that I feel for them.  But if I look a little deeper, I can see that they are precious to me because of the possibility and potential that they all possess and express.

It’s hard for us to feel that every person around us is precious, even though we all hide worlds of possibility.  It’s easier for us to feel that preciousness in young children that we pass in the street, for the possibility in them is carried on their bright faces as a brilliant glow.  What a world we would live in if we could regularly feel that each person we pass is precious!

There are other precious realms of possibility in my life:

• My spiritual practices
• My dreams and goals
• My thoughts, feelings, and insights which grow my understanding of this world
• My writing about those insights which develops my understanding even more
• My accomplishments around those dreams and goals

Even though I have some idea of where my own treasures lie, yet there is so much that I’m only dimly aware of.  

What are the greatest gifts that I have to offer the world? What is uniquely mine to give to others? What can I accomplish with those gifts?
However much we think that we know about our accomplishments and our potential, more of our greatness is hidden within us, like a great cave full of gold and diamonds.

What is precious to you? What and where are your treasures?

Some people settle for treasures which are mostly glitter.  We all have times in our lives when we pretend that trivial things are treasures.  It’s hard sometimes to separate the trivial from our real treasures.
 
Animals have treasures, too.
And animals know about protecting and guarding their treasures, whether it’s a place, a child, a mate, some food, or some prized possession (if you’re a pack rat).

If something is precious, isn’t it worth protecting?  If someone you love was physically threatened and you could protect her, wouldn’t you do so?
Of course.

But there’s a big danger lurking here.
When we have treasures, when we care deeply, we naturally want to protect our treasures.
Even if the “treasures” aren’t really precious. Even if the “threats” are imaginary.

Questions aren’t threats.
People disagreeing with me aren’t threats.

Do I stand guard with a sword ready to attack anyone who I imagine threatens my treasures?
Does my life become an endless chain of threats that I have to defend against?
Does my world become so focused on my treasures that my world becomes scarce, the only things in it my treasures?

Animals and many people let their world become smaller when they have treasures.
It’s all too common in this world.  It’s not the possibility that I’ve chosen, and I hope that you don’t either.

Some people avoid this danger by abandoning passion.  If I don’t care about anything, I can’t be hurt, and I don’t have to defend myself.

There’s another way.  Look at the treasures in our life as windows into the abundance that is everywhere waiting for us.  It’s a world of infinite possibility.  Cherish your treasures as ambassadors of the infinite.

Real threats are far fewer than we imagine, and we have to separate real threats from endless fears. Most of the time, I’m the one who criticizes, resists, ignores, or damages my own treasures.

If I want to really protect what’s precious from all of my fears and pettiness:

• I need to build my own strength, to where I don’t overreact to every disagreement.
• I need to realize that the treasures are far bigger than my little hold on them.
• I need to internalize that the treasures aren’t mine to own, only mine to love.

The only way we can face real danger without being destructive is to become bigger people, more far-seeing people, more abundant people — people who see treasure in themselves and others, people who work to reveal the treasure in themselves and others.