The Treasure Is Not a Handbag

An addendum, of sorts, to the last post. I have been making collages with the text of the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. I'm using enlarged copies of my red letter edition to the King James, with its nice old typeface. The phrase "great price" keeps popping out, and it reminds me of an ad. "Pearls at a Great Price! Get Yours Today!" There's a notion much more familiar to us, easier to get than these weird old Jesus parables - wanting stuff.

Taken to its extreme, then, how is this different from just wanting some outrageous thing, like my lust for a handbag? The one I'm willing to pay so much for, because it's soooo darned cute.

The treasure is not a handbag. It's not just something you rully, rully want. The kingdom of God is you serving the world. The treasure or the pearl is what encourages you to do it. My husband said his pearl of great price was teaching yoga. He certainly gave up everything to do it. He had had a great-paying job at DuPont, (which helped keep me in handbags, let me tell you) he had years of training, he had professional status in the field of occupational health and safety. This also gave him a high DAR - Dad Approval Rating - not to mention status among men as a Regular Guy. And he was miserable.

The very weekend after he quit his job, he became a changed person: calmer, more present and alive. In a word, happy. The night he came home from teaching his first yoga class, he looked... complete. And here's why. Teaching yoga isn't just for him. It's a gift of love he brings. It's a way of spending himself that is truly of service. That's the kingdom. That's what makes it a Pearl, and not a pearl clutch bag. Which I would love to have, by the way.