On finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matt 13:46 (NIV)
Ultimate Value – Parable Series 2 – Part 6
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5
(OR go to Parable Series 1)
The merchant lived a life of endless trade. Buying and selling, always wanting to make the trade that would set up him for life, but finding it an elusive task. Consumerism, greed, the hunt, the desire for more… It’s a never ending cycle. In the midst of all of this, he started to seek something that would bring him more fulfilment. Pearls. Lots of them. They would connect him with his life's purpose, or whatever held ultimate value for him. But then he found this pearl, and unexpectedly, this one pearl was all he wanted. He resonated with it so much that it changed the course of his life. He sold all he had to have it. He committed himself to the transformation, even though it cost him everything. (You cannot be a merchant if you have no wares to sell!)
What is your pearl?
Have you ever felt like you live on a merry-go-round? You dream of jumping off and finding that one thing that will make all the difference in your life? But comfort, familiarity, security, fear of the unknown and the risks involved… they all keep us stuck living a life where we’re not chasing after what has ultimate value to us.
God created us all. He knit us together in our mother's wombs. He wove into us threads of destiny, the embryos of skill and the natural ability towards certain things… I believe that within us lie the seeds to whatever it is God has created us to do. And being in the Kingdom of Heaven is like searching for what you are put here for… becoming your true self. And perhaps sometimes this comes about in unexpected ways and leads us to unexpected places. Like searching for pearls to sell, but finding one and keeping it.
Ultimately, this parable is about transformation and our willingness to be transformed. Not specifically in a redemptive way, but in terms of purpose and journey.
Amy-Jill Levine writes, “The parable asks; Can we assess what is of ultimate value in our own lives, not simply in terms of relativizing, but in terms of ultimate concern? More, it asks: Are we willing to step aside from all we have to obtain what we want?”
Are we willing to shed the merchant to become the pearl owner?
Yesterday, I mentioned that I wasn't feeling up to writing much this week and was looking for an easy way out. Then I studied this parable, and it hit me hard. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to be a writer. And over the years, the fear of failure and rejection has kept this dream ‘a dream.' I’ve picked up a pen every now and then and have had a go, but I hadn’t made any kind of commitment to making my dream come true. The challenge I felt as I began writing this out was, would I let a headache be an excuse for delivering mediocre work? To not work on my craft? Would I use it as a mask to cover up my fear of failure? Would I stay on the merry-go-round of only doing as much as I need to? Or will I jump off and commit myself to this dream?
What would I give to be able to pursue that which was placed within me before the dawn of time? Would I follow the Kingdom of heaven on a grand quest to become who I have been made to be?
What is your pearl? And are you willing to give all that you currently know to obtain it? To be transformed?
And on another level, when you discover the Kingdom of God and its treasures: love, kindness, mercy, joy, hope, faith and more… don’t you think it changes you from someone who deals in emotions – trading one for another – and into someone who has ultimate peace, redemption and love? No longer having to trade for moments of happiness and fulfilment, but living with the very source of it all? That's transformation. That's going from a merchant to a pearl owner. A dreamer to a writer. A lost soul to someone who belongs.
Go to Part 7 – Place of Calling
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