Treasure

We had three rose bushes bordering our driveway at our Austin place. One hot summer day last year my husband tilted one of the tall four foot rectangular planters that the bush was in in order to unstop the drainage route on the bottom and laid it carefully down on the driveway. He needed some help lifting it back into place as it had to be picked up over a settled in groove. But we left it down too long and it did not survive the heat on the driveway. So now it is spring and it is time to replace it, but we wanted to replace it with a sizable bush,not just a two gallon one, same color and same family but were having a hard time finding one. Someone from a local nursery suggested to my husband that we try a place called the Rose Emporium in Independence Texas. I usually would just punt and make due with what I could find in town, but I was heading to Austin on Monday and loved country roads and though why not just and check this place out.

Truly it is in the middle of country fields, kind of in the Brenham area, and it is a spot of enchanted beauty with not only roses of all colors and beautiful varieties, but also an assortment of other plants and sculptures along the trails that meander throughout the emporium. It was an unexpected jewel in the middle of the countryside, and worth the drive. There is nothing that soothes a soul like country roads....and was an unexpected treasure find. They did have my rose bush but it was only in a two gallon container....oh well, we will watch as it grows, and the memory of the adventure will make it worth the wait.

As I reflected on this little place, I thought ...don't you know God has placed hidden treasures on all our paths, but we either are in too big of a hurry to notice them or we don't take time to get off our highway living and scout out places that are not on our beaten path. What would you consider a treasured find? A tucked away dive, an unexpected bargain find, birds who choose to light in your yard, a call from a friend, an invitation to join an adventure. I am convinced that treasures are before us and about us, that will delight our hearts and fill our senses. Some are found in nature, some are found in the actions as we love and encourage others, and some are even within us when we are able to use what God has equipped us with to get through tough obstacles. There are treasures of the heart, and for the heart.

Luke 12:34
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

We are surrounded by vast resources that we hardly ever tap into because we become so accustomed to staying within the bounds of our everyday life.
It was a stretch to go our to Independence, Texas to see about a rose bush, but it was a great adventure of enchantment, that activated my sense of wonder, smell and sight. Isn't that what God does for us when we allow him the privilege to be a part of our daily routine. He activates the joy that lies within us, by presenting us with delights that he knows we would appreciate. His offerings are available to all of us and if we are on watch and are willing to make time to explore a little, God will surprise us, as he did for me at this emporium, and treasures you will find. But greatest treasure we will ever find is in knowing the Lord. And from that treasured knowledge, God allows us the key to open his chest of infinite blessings and partake in the joy that he has laid before us.

Dear Lord, thank you for the blessing of unexpected surprises. Amen


Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!