PLAYBOOK DEVOTIONAL
Athlete, Consider Your Greatest Treasure
Liz Newell
Mark 10:21,22 (ESV)
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
I can remember sitting in the living room of my childhood home the day my parents said they were getting a divorce. At first I was happy because this meant that they finally weren’t going to fight anymore and I would be able to have two of everything now!
Little did I know that the fighting would only get worse and I would later end up moving in solely with my dad and having no contact with my mom for a few years to come.
Later on, I grew to treasure and really covet the time I spent with my family before the divorce. So much so that I would compare myself to others. I would be mad at God and ask Him, “Why me?”
Why was I not able to be like everyone else who came from homes where there were two loving parents? Why did my brother and I have to work to pay for our sports and extracurricular activities?
Then when I got to college, I started asking why I did not have a “home” to go back to on the weekends or during breaks?
All the while I never realized what God was doing. Though, in my situation, there was a lot of pain and shame and guilt and anger, God fully knew my heart.
As much as I tried to act like everything was okay and that I was doing fine, He knew the real deal. I hid behind sports. I hid behind my pride. I even tried hiding behind my “Christian-ness,” if that’s even a thing.
Much like the rich young ruler in Mark 10, I pretended to have it all together so that at least those boxes could be checked off.
Looking back, I can see that everything that had happened during those early years of my walk with Christ did happen for a reason. He was calling me out of all my comfort, away from everyone and everything that I knew. Sound scary? It was.
However, the greatest treasure that I could ever possess, just like Jesus says to the rich young ruler, is my relationship with Him. That will sustain me, fill me, complete me, and satisfy me more than I will ever be able to express.
Reflect: Athlete, what are you treasuring over God? If I may ask, who will ever treasure you more than your loving Father, Healer, Redeemer and Creator?
