What is it that captures your heart? What matters more than anything else? Whether you are conscious of it or not, these questions drive both you and your children. Jesus graciously leads us into this discussion in Matthew 13:44:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
This man found a treasure. He quickly buried it again hoping no one noticed. Filled with joy, he went off and sold everything so that he could buy the field and possess the treasure. He did not sell all out of a sense of obligation. Can you imagine finding the treasure and saying,
Wouldn’t you know that I would have to find the treasure in the field? I hate it when this happens to me! Now I will have to sell all my stuff so I can buy that stupid field and possess that treasure.
This man wasn’t driven by obligation. He sold his belongings out of a sense of profound joy. The treasure captured his heart! This is what the kingdom of heaven is like. Until your children have understood that nothing in all the earth matters but knowing and loving Jesus, they will never know him and love him and serve him. Delight in God cannot occur in a vacuum.
What do your children believe about what captures your heart? Do they believe that following after God and his treasure is your obligation or your greatest joy? You see, the man who found the treasure knew that there was nothing on earth more important than possessing the priceless treasure. He knew that his earthly stuff was not was his life was about.
Jesus told his followers that pursuing the righteousness of his kingdom, the treasure in the field, would lead to having everything that is important in life. The passionate pursuit of God’s treasure keeps worry from dominating your life.
You want good things for your children. The best gift that you can give them is a heart that is captured by the pursuit of the treasure in God’s kingdom. Your children know what your heart values. They are able to look beyond the words of your mouth. They know what captures your heart.