The world
conspires against our souls by blinding us to the depth and glory of their
God-given design and tempting us to be satisfied with immediate gratification.
{John Ortberg, Soul Keeping}
{John Ortberg, Soul Keeping}
I don’t need new
clothes
new friends
new houses
new information
new vacation
destinations
new success.
If we're looking for a cliché to hold onto this month it’s not ‘broaden your horizons’.
It’s ‘dig deep'.
Real riches are
not found by moving from one new thing to another. They are found by going
down
down
down
further and further
into the same old place.
Perhaps an example here would help.
down
down
down
further and further
into the same old place.
Perhaps an example here would help.
In an effort to connect with my husband I sometimes do things I would never normally do on my own. For example, watching t.v. shows about mining for gold in the Alaskan wilderness.
Never in my life would I scroll through Netflix and select 'Gold Rush' for my viewing pleasure. Surprisingly, however, I became intrigued after the first episode so I may have watched two or three or ten more.
Just in case you've never seen it allow me to set the stage.
There are three groups of people on three different properties in remote Alaska.
There are three groups of people on three different properties in remote Alaska.
Each group is facing severe conditions as they try to unearth enough gold to actually make a profit and provide for their families.
I never really knew anything about mining for gold until I watched these people do it. Here's what I've learned...
I never really knew anything about mining for gold until I watched these people do it. Here's what I've learned...
It's hard work.
It's stressful.
And most importantly...
If you really want to find the real riches you have to be patient and do everything you can to keep digging
deeper.
You can’t dig for a little bit
in one spot and then move on to a new spot and then another new spot. You pick the place that you believe shows the
most promise and you just keep going down.
It gets messy. You have to siphon out muddy water and your
machinery gets stuck and you have to pull it out and you have to carefully sift
through the soil looking for something of actual value but you just keep going
deeper.
You don’t give up and move on.
You keep going deeper.
You have to be patient and persistent and disciplined and keep your end goal in mind. And eventually…
if you have positioned yourself correctly,
if you have been patient and persistent
you will strike gold.
You don’t give up and move on.
You keep going deeper.
You have to be patient and persistent and disciplined and keep your end goal in mind. And eventually…
if you have positioned yourself correctly,
if you have been patient and persistent
you will strike gold.
Do you know what miners call the most
treasure-filled spot in a dig?
The glory hole.
That is their ultimate goal…to find a glory hole. Glory holes are thought to have been formed at the base of waterfalls that pushed the gold down deep for safekeeping many many years ago. Even after the waterfalls are long gone and the patterns of the rivers and land have changed, that little pocket of gold remains hidden down deep.
There is a glory hole deep inside all of us waiting to be discovered. The treasure we seek can’t be found by moving from one new thing to the next but only from getting comfortable right where we are…and beginning to dig.
Yes...immediate gratification is out there for the taking but the let down and emptiness follows closely behind.
We can be satisfied with something new that gives us immediate, but fleeting, reward; or we can find our satisfaction instead in the deliberate digging that leads to a new spirit unearthed within us.
A once empty hole filled with the glory of God in us.
The glory hole.
That is their ultimate goal…to find a glory hole. Glory holes are thought to have been formed at the base of waterfalls that pushed the gold down deep for safekeeping many many years ago. Even after the waterfalls are long gone and the patterns of the rivers and land have changed, that little pocket of gold remains hidden down deep.
There is a glory hole deep inside all of us waiting to be discovered. The treasure we seek can’t be found by moving from one new thing to the next but only from getting comfortable right where we are…and beginning to dig.
Yes...immediate gratification is out there for the taking but the let down and emptiness follows closely behind.
We can be satisfied with something new that gives us immediate, but fleeting, reward; or we can find our satisfaction instead in the deliberate digging that leads to a new spirit unearthed within us.
A once empty hole filled with the glory of God in us.
1 comment:
Yes! When I think of "new" I tend to think of something shiny, fresh, and up on the surface of things. I love the idea that the best "new" might be down deep, below the surface, covered in dirt. Thanks for reminding me that there may be something down there worth digging for!
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