Treasures in Heaven

Jesus often taught how fleeting earthly treasures are when compared to the treasures that await us in heaven:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19–21)

We need to love and cherish our spouses, but we must guard against making them our ultimate treasure. Loving our spouses and wanting security and happiness are not sinful desires. But without Christ guiding us to place them in the proper perspective, we risk putting our spouses on a pedestal and granting them undue influence over our lives. That’s because our treasure—whatever or whomever it may be—can become our primary source of identity, significance, and security. It can be what drives us and motivates us. And to put all that on another human being is too much. Like a plant that wilts when it’s overwatered, we can overwhelm the things and people we hold dear if we make them our ultimate treasure and cling to them too tightly. Instead, Christ says to go ahead and get married and love your spouse. But let Christ be the foundation for loving them well by loving him above all.

I love how C. S. Lewis puts it in a quote we framed and hung in the stairwell of our home:

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.[1]

No human being, not even a spouse, is meant to fully satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts. So go on a treasure hunt and take a closer look at what matters most to you. Consider what truly shapes your day-to-day decisions—how you invest your time and resources, how you view and treat your spouse, and even the thoughts that occupy your mind throughout the day. Underneath it all is your earthly dearest, the treasure that holds sway over your heart. And God invites you to surrender whatever that is so you can love him more.

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[1] Walter Hooper, ed., The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy 1950–1963, vol. 3 (New York: HarperCollins, 2007), 247, italics in original.