Storing Up "Acorns" - Kristin Sterk

Don’t know if you’ve noticed lately, but I’ve seen a lot of squirrels runnin’ around with their precious acorns :). Every morning I try to go on a walk/jog and every morning I am just baffled at the squirrels because they ARE EVERYWHERE. You may think I have some fettish with squirrels because I have written about squirrels before here. But this is a little bit of a different reason – as I was watching the squirrels run around with their acorns while jogging (I think about anything and everything during that time :)), I thought about how I live my life.

In the movie “The Ice Age” (one of my all-time faves), at the beginning and end, that little animal is just trying everything he can take care of that one little acorn – he risked his life to save that sucker, even though it caused many issues to say the least. He tried to bury it in the ice crack, but ended up breaking up the whole glacier and causing a WORLD of problems. Really it’s rather hilarious I think.

But then I think about what I try to “store up” in my life. Obviously it’s not acorns – but what am I storing up for “later” and how is that going to effect the rest of my life? Matthew 6:19-21 says: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What am I putting into my body? What do I watch and listen to? What do I buy? What do I save up? What do I commit most of my time to? Where is my focus? Is it all on earthly treasures and earthly desires? Or is it on things that have eternal value? Am I striving after “things” in life that could be here one day and gone the next? I find myself thinking about that question a lot – not only because I see squirrels saving up their acorns right now :). I think about it because I feel we live in a very materialistic and me-focused world. I hear conversations people have about their “stuff” and I just think – what if a fire came and just destroyed it all? It could happen! Dan and I have really tried to work on that – to make sure that we don’t get too attached to the things we have – but make sure we are attached solely to our Savior. Trust me, it’s a work in progress, but there have been a few times in our life where we think “this” is the way it will go and in one second or one doctor’s appt., it all changes. God knows that we sure have a lot to learn :).

One thing I can definitely learn from all the squirrels is to strive DAILY to store up as much as I can, in heavenly treasures. Do I run around, run every which way, to try and serve the Lord? Do I look for the opportunities in every corner, or do I just let life pass by, not having anything stored up and then am “lost” when I need to tap into what I have stored up? Well, what if nothing is there? That is why I need to DAILY stay in His Word and build that relationship with my heavenly Father. Colossians 4:4-6 says: Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. If I am not storing up treasures in heaven, how will I be able to be ready to give an answer to the faith that I believe in? What if I miss the opportunity because I am too busy chasing earthly treasures?

Squirrels – who would’ve thought there would be so much to learn from them?

So, what are you storing up? I know I will not be bored – I know I have a lot to work on :).