What Would You Take?
Going west in a covered wagon was a grueling trip of endurance. Many people thought that they could not leave their most precious possessions behind. So they loaded the wagon with heavy furniture, silverware, and ceramic items. During the migration, the wise ones realized that the things that they treasured were not so important on the plains. Either the wagons became hard to move along the rutted trail, the oxen could not pull the load, or they were damaged crossing the steams and rivers. They were left along the trail or traded for grain and food.
200 years later, we have filled our houses with so much stuff that even our garages are full! What would we take with us if we had to load everything we owned in the back of a pickup and move far away? There would would be many hard and painful decisions to make.
Our greatest treasures will easily fit in the cab. We might not think of them as treasures, for they will not feed us or keep us warm or help us with everyday life. What are those treasures? The Holy Bible, the Book of Concord, a hymnal and devotion books. These were items that people 200 years ago could not easily purchase at their destination. They were treasured because the people understood that only by God’s help could they move safely west. They were treasured because their contents brought them the assurance that Jesus is the Prince of Life who gave them hope of life in heaven.
With our houses filled with stuff, we may not think of these books as treasures. That is, we may not take them out to read them and ponder what they tell us about Jesus, or to sing about God’s grace and love. We may not even own a Book of Concord, our Lutheran confession of faith. Our lives and faith will be the poorer for that lack.
Jesus once said, “Do not labor for food which perishes, but for that food which endures to everlasting life; which the Son of Man shall give to you” (John 6:27). And when Satan tempted a hungry Jesus to turn stones into bread, He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
We ought to thank God for the many possessions we have that make our lives far more comfortable on earth than our ancestors. But though they owned little, many of them knew what their greatest treasure was—God’s Word, the book of life.