Pirates. As a child, running into a pirate was one of my greatest fears. The movies portrayed them as fearful enemies who had no mercy on those who dared steal their buried treasure. Even though we lived inland and were never going to run into pirates, and I wasnโt ever going to dig up one of their treasures, I lived in dread of them. Bears, yes, bears were something I was legitimately afraid of (read here). We lived in the Northeast of the country in a rural region, so it was possible to see bears. But pirates? Unless pirates were taking over the forest and hiding in tree houses (new fear unlocked) they werenโt anywhere near us.
Running into a pirate in a cemetery
All things pirate fascinated me. At 10 years old, I imagined that in times past, they visited our area and buried treasure nearby. There was a very old cemetery that was neglected and overgrown in the woods close to our house. Sometimes, Iโd visit it with my friends. There was a coffin sticking up out of the ground (true story), and we would wonder if someone was trying to get out. What if pirates had buried their treasure in the coffin? Our minds ran wild, and when we couldnโt take it any longer, weโd squeal and run away, terrified. If we stayed longer, we risked running into a pirate who was coming to dig up his buried treasure.
Hidden in plain sight
Treasures are often hidden, buried as it were, in plain sight. The Raiders of the Lost Ark movies generated millions of dollars based on the premise of an adventure to find hidden treasure. The main character and hero of the movies, Indiana Jones, was a simple professor before launching out to find treasure in far-off lands. He was an unlikely hero who, like me, had a fear of running into a pirate (and falling into pits of snakes). When he found treasure, his life changed.
What lengths would you go to to find a hidden treasure of insane value? What would you do to find a hidden treasure that could change your life?
Afraid of running into a pirate
The other morning, I was thinking back to my childhood and remembering how terrified I was of running into a pirate. And I would do anything to avoid them, but their quest for buried treasure made me curious. I was curious enough to visit a virtually abandoned cemetery and search for buried treasure.
Much of our scurrying about to make ends meet is based on fear. Fearing the loss of income to pay bills, fearing what people might say if we do the wrong thing, and fearing loss of loved ones. We run from pillar to post trying to avoid running into a pirate of loss.
The hidden treasure of fearing the Lord
Thereโs treasure to be found if we are brave enough to look and fear the right thing, the Right One. Instead of fearing the future and what it holds, if we have the courage to fear the Lord, our futures will be secure. Isaiah tells us that the โfear of the Lordโ is our treasure. Fearing the Lord isnโt being afraid of Him like we are afraid of the unknown. Fearing the Lord is simply honoring Him enough to live in complete obedience and trust no matter what the circumstance. If this is our position, this becomes our treasure.
โThe Lord is honored because He lives on high. He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the foundation of your future. The riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is your treasure.โ
Isaiah 33:5,6 GW
We tend to think that treasure is made of silver and gold because these treasures can secure our financial futures. However, real treasure is found in the Lord and allowing Him to be the foundation of our futures. Pirates look for treasure that only has monetary value. The real treasure of life is found when we dig deep enough in ourselves to fear the Lord, not fear the future. Iโm no longer afraid of running into a pirate. Iโve already found my treasure, and no pirate can take it away.
