The Golden Egg

It's the most sought after prize in the Easter Egg Hunt, at least in my family. It's the Golden Egg. It only contains five dollars, but compared to the other eggs, which only contain less than fifty cents a piece or some kind of candy, it's the one to find. And, it's always the one that is hidden in the best, most obscure place.

At our egg hunt this year, O found the Golden Egg. He didn't seem to recognize the importance of finding this egg. Although he did notice that it was bigger than the other eggs he had already collected, he wasn't all that impressed. In fact, when he shook the egg next to his ear, he was disappointed that he heard no sound. 

"Mom, there's no sound," he said to me, as if I could give him some explanation as to why his big egg was broken.  I told him, "It's okay, there's something inside." Obviously it wasn't okay to him, as within the next minute he had traded the coveted Golden Egg to his sister for one of her eggs, that actually made noise when he shook it.

Although I hate to admit it, I have probably done the same thing. How many times have I traded away a "Golden Egg" because it didn't make enough noise? How many times have I been dissatisfied with something and not bothered to take that extra look, the one that would have told me what a treasure I already had?

Maybe we do this with church, or even with God, Himself. We give our "God egg" a little shake, and if it doesn't sound the way we think it should, we trade God in for something else, something that gives us immediate feedback or gratification. Do we also do this with our relationships with others? If something needs investigating, if we need to actually open the egg in order to determine it's true value, do we do it? Do we take the time? Or, do we base our relationship or impression on that initial shake.

Here are some lessons I learned from the Golden Egg:

• I need to take time, to invest in others in order to realize their true value.
• I need  to trust that the egg I've been given is truly my treasure and stop looking for other eggs that only provide temporary satisfaction.
• I need to appreciate and see value in what has been gifted to me by God.
• I need to to see value in my relationship with God and stop expecting Him to "make the sound" I want to hear.

Although I don't always need to be searching for a "Golden Egg" or the highest prize, when I find it or it has been gifted to me, I need to see its value. If not, I may lose out on one of life's greatest treasures.