My chest felt like it was exploding.
It was late on a Wednesday night. I was alone in my office when suddenly, my heart rate became erratic. I was finishing notes from my counseling session. My immediate thought was: Oh, no. Then a moment later, as my heart raced away, I don’t want the intern locking up to find me dead in an hour.
I got up and walked across the street to get my wife’s help. Later that night, the ER doctor labeled it an SVT–supraventricular tachycardia, an abnormally fast heart rate. It lasted for about ten minutes and then resolved itself.
Fast forward to two days later: I was sitting across from Dr. Johnson, my primary doctor for the last decade, who told me: “You can’t have any caffeine because it can be a trigger for the electrical circuitry of your heart.”
Eyebrows raised, a curious expression on my face, I inquired, “What does that mean, Doc?”
“No coffee…”
No problem, I thought.
“No tea…”
Not an issue, I thought.
“No chocolate.”
I almost fell out of my chair. No chocolate?
“You’re joking, right?”
With a smile on his face, “No, I’m not.”
I’m a bonafide chocoholic. I’ve loved and consumed every form of chocolate known to mankind. And I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. So, when my doctor said I had to stop eating chocolate, I was surprised.
There are people who endure great suffering and tragedies. My prohibition of chocolate is not that. It’s a minor issue at best. But I’ve taken seriously my doctor’s guidance to cut out any form of caffeine, and it’s been nine years since I’ve had any chocolate. Almost a decade without chocolate.
Competing Treasures
My dear 78-year-old mother brings over rich chocolate desserts for her grandkids: brownies with chunks of dark chocolate; peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s kisses embedded in the middle; chocolate truffles; a bowl of chocolate cake layered with whipped cream and fruit; and of course, chocolate Cocoa Krispy treats. My five kids consume this panorama of delectable delights. There is a mutual love affair—grandmother enjoys making them; her grandkids find even greater joy in eating them. And I sit contentedly watching them engage in this great fanfare.
Why am I content? Why not jealous? Do I have some super-human power?
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus reminds us to not invest in treasures on earth but to invest in treasures in heaven, because heavenly treasures are eternal and incorruptible (6:19-20). Then He reminds us: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (v. 21).
A treasure is anything we cherish and adore. It’s anything we align ourselves with and worship. Get rid of your thoughts about treasure chests of gold and silver. What Jesus speaks of are the treasures of our hearts.
Our hearts are the command center of our lives. Our thinking, feelings, actions, and choices all flow from our hearts (Luke 6:43-45; Prov. 20:5). Matthew 6:21 tells us that your heart will follow your treasure. Whatever you love, your heart will follow. Your heart will give its energy and efforts to whatever grabs your attention and devotion.
Let’s return to my ban on chocolate. Giving up chocolate was initially a bummer, but it turned out not to be that hard. Why? Because I have a much greater treasure.
Picture this scene. I’m decked out in a tuxedo. Across from me stands my daughter, Lydia, who is dressed in her wedding gown, hair done, and stunningly beautiful. She’s about to walk down the aisle and unite her life with a man she’s dated for the past year. And I—as the doting father—am going to give her away.
I want to be there. I want to be at my daughter’s wedding day so badly that I’d climb Mount Everest if I had to.
If I give up caffeine and chocolate, I have a better chance of being present on Lydia’s wedding day. It’s that simple. In the calculations of my heart, my desire to walk my daughter down the aisle trumps my life-long infatuation with chocolate.
So, when grandmother shows up with a chocolate dessert, there’s no super-human discipline. Really, there is just a love for a greater treasure—my daughter’s wedding day.
Now It’s Your Turn: What Are Your Most Valuable Treasures?
What are your greatest treasures? Take a moment and list them out in your mind. Your marriage? Your children? Your job? Your list of achievements? Maybe you’re a foodie, so you love to eat? Do you relish your comfort, like a fun vacation, a nice car, or a beautiful home? Are you a health fanatic? Do you enjoy entertainment and leisure? Perhaps you love to travel? Or does money in the bank provide a feeling of long-term security? What matters most to you?
If you are not sure, take a moment and answer some of these questions: What gets you up in the mornings? What do you most look forward to in your day? Where is your hope? What do you want from your life? Where do you expend your energy and effort the most?
Here’s what I want you to do. Write down your treasures and compare them. If the Lord were to look at your list, what would He think? My guess is He’d rearrange some of the things you wrote down. He’d adjust things and switch them around. What matters to Him probably matters less to you.
Pray. Ask the Great Shepherd of hearts to shape your affections. Beg the Lord to shape your desires so they look like his. Value what the Lord values. Treasure what He treasures. Take His delights and let them rearrange your heart and your life.
As much as I love my daughter, and to a lesser extent, chocolate, my greatest desire is to honor Christ with every ounce of my being. Though I feel the travails of my fallen nature every day (Eph. 2:1, 3), I also feel the grace of God working in my life (Titus 2:11-14) and the Spirit giving me strength to face each day (Eph. 3:16). All glory be to Christ.
Questions for Reflection
- Is Christ your greatest treasure? If not, what do you need to repent of and give up in order to make Him King and Lord over every inch of your life?
- Consider your list of treasures: What needs to become more important that has not been important? What needs to become less important that has been too important? Remember, value what God values.