For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (King James Bible, Matthew 6:21)
A phrase came to me this morning, “We track what we treasure.” Besides being kind of fun to say back-to-back a few times (I’m such a word nerd), I was intrigued and began to mentally explore how this is true.
The first thing that came to mind was money. Most of us know how much money we have in our wallet and in the bank. We track our time (some days better than others). We know when we have to be somewhere or do something, and we keep track of time in order to keep our commitments.
We track other assets and valuables, plus our grocery, home and hygiene needs. We keep track of the people we care about most, how they are, and what’s going on in their lives. We track everything from the little things to the big things—whatever would matter to us if things changed and we didn’t know it.
If you know my story, you know that I was disabled from my award-winning sales career permanently in May 2005, after physical challenges began the previous fall. Numerous surgeries and years of physical therapy resulted. I still go to physical therapy a few times a month to maintain my best functioning self. I am grateful for my abundant health! And, I would love improvement in certain areas.
I have a dear friend who experienced a dramatic physical healing last fall. She didn’t tell me for six months, even though she is one of my best friends. She wanted to be sure it lasted before she talked about it. She has since shared with me in detail about the way she prayed and affirmed her health would be restored, and her use of visualization. She tracked her methods and positive results.
My friend’s story has motivated me to believe for even greater levels of health, function and strength. As a result, I’ve started practicing what she shared with me—applying faith, visualization, affirmative words and prayer over my wellness, and over bodily discomfort and pain whenever it surfaces. It’s been an amazing experience so far, when I remember to do it. My FTG writing is intentionally spiritual and not religious, so I won’t go into my additional thoughts and beliefs, but I’m
happy to discuss this further one-on-one, just send me an email.
Last night I attended a small, backyard wedding for a friend, where I had agreed to take photos and some video. When I was a part-time professional photographer in the years that followed my disability from full-time sales, I never did weddings, and I certainly never worked in a physical capacity for three and a half hours straight. But I had so much fun capturing precious moments for my friend that I just kept going, all through the reception too.
Two hours after getting home last night, my elbow locked up in pain and weakness. I suspected it was from holding my heavy camera for so long, sometimes as much as ten minutes without moving. (The setting wasn’t conducive to using a tripod and still be mobile.) The unpleasant sensations were greatly reduced when I applied the tactics my friend suggested. I set my expectations to waken this morning with no trace of discomfort left, and that’s exactly what happened.
We track what we treasure. I value my health, so I decided after pondering that phrase a while, that I wanted to create a written record of every time I experienced a positive result regarding my health. This “gift inventory” will encourage me to diligently pursue wellness, and also believe for greater things in every area of my life. I'm excited to watch the list grow.
What do you treasure? Intention and attention are a powerful duo for abundant living. What would you benefit from tracking more closely? What we track can soon be something we celebrate.
Today, take stock of the important things in your life and how well you are stewarding what you’ve been given, while looking for ways you are already blessed. Celebrate positive movement, even in places where things may not yet be exactly as you want them to be. When we have a heart of gratitude and celebration, we tend to receive more to celebrate.
Hearts that seek treasure always find it, even if it’s gift-wrapped slightly different than we expected. Join me today on a new kind of treasure hunt. Track your treasures, celebrate, and watch your gifts grow.
