In our house we have a special fork. Yes, you read that right, a special fork. What could cause a fork to be so special? My kids found it outside in the ground and cleaned it up. I’m not even kidding. And yes, we even use it. They found it while looking for buried treasure at our first house in Orio. It’s not shiny. It doesn’t look all that special. It doesn’t match my nice silverware set I bought last year. At all. It’s just a plain fork.
Who knows where it could have come from? Could it have been used by the previous home owners of our Orio house? Perhaps it fell out of a pioneer family’s covered wagon as they were traveling west. Who knows what my kids think!
I’ll be honest, I do not like to eat with it. Not surprisingly, I’m pretty picky about the fork I use. It can’t be one of the big ones, it has to be one of the smaller ones, and most definitely not the special one. I do not see the value in this special fork. I don’t like to use it, I don’t like to wash it, I don’t like to see it in my utensil drawer. I have even thought about tossing it. But I just can’t. It’s special. Why on earth is it special? Because my kids see its value in a way that I do not.
Some parents smuggle old toys out of the house, broken crayons, torn up jeans, stained shirts. Sometimes I might even admit to smuggling some things out of our house! Maybe. But I cannot bring myself to dispose of the special fork. That’s what they’ve called it still after all these years. It’s been at least 5 years that the special fork has been in the family. Maybe one day my kids will decide who gets to keep the special fork when I die. Maybe they’ll even trade it off every year at Christmas like we used to do for my Nana’s pet bird, Percy. I wonder what the stories would be then! Surely the story would have evolved into some great adventurous, off the wall, fairy tailish story by then!
The special fork has been on my mind this week quite a bit. I’ve been praying and asking God what He wants to say to me through this special fork. In my quiet time with Him I just feel like the word “value” is emphasized. Why on earth does this fork have value? It’s not because they paid a lot of money for it. It’s not because it’s a precious metal by any means. It is special and has value because my kids believe it does. My kids have at least 5 years history with this special fork. 5 years of dinners of wanting to eat with the special fork. There’s only one you know and there are more kids present in this house than special forks. If I had a whole drawerful of special forks they wouldn’t be near as special.
Value.
Matthew 13:46
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
My kids always seem to find interesting ways of showing me how the Kingdom of God is without ever realizing what they’re doing! In their childlikeness they went outside looking for buried treasure. How often do we look for buried treasure in the people who surround us every day? When they found their treasure they brought it in the house with great joy. Did they see the dirt and mud? Absolutely. But they also saw the treasure.
Can we see beyond people’s dirt and mud? Can we see the treasure? Can we see how God created them to be in the first place before the world got a hold of them? How much joy do we carry when we see these great treasures before us? Do we bring them in and show our friends and family? Look what I have found! Look and see! This person was created to be…. My kids saw that special fork even when covered in dirt. They saw its original design and they brought it in and they cleaned it up. They take great pride in that. They own a part of that fork. I’m not saying we can own people or should, but we are connected to people through love. When we love someone we are connected to them.
Do we allow ourselves to be vulnerable enough to the point of looking foolish to others when we outwardly express our joy in using our special fork? Or are we too caught up in ourselves? I’m pretty sure we need to be more childlike! Do you have special people in your life that you are asking God to show you their original design? Are you trying to see past all the mud? If not, it’s time to go on a treasure hunt!
2 Timothy 2:20- In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use.
Maybe you feel like a dirt covered fork today. You have great value, friend. When the Father sees you, He sees past all your stuff. He sees past all your dirt. He sees past all those places you’ve been. He sees past all those people who have thrown you away. He sees a person of great value. One that was never created to be thrown away, but valued greatly. Let His love wash over you tonight as our Father begins to show you who He originally designed you to be.
Don’t worry about what everyone else thinks. Don’t worry about those people who don’t like to use the special fork because of this or that. Those who love God like a child, they see with more clarity. They have kingdom eyes and can see treasure when others can’t. You are a pearl of great price, created to worship and love and know God.
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