You know when you have that sinking feeling deep inside your gut and you just know something isn't right?
I pulled into our driveway last Friday and noticed a peculiar oddity inside our home. Our blinds were raised halfway in one window, something we have never done before. As I got out of the car, my mind raced and my heart pounded at the inevitable feeling of opening the door and seeing what may be inside. I slowly cracked the door open to see furniture moved and a large blank wall where a television used to reside.
My stomach sank and my heart raced even faster.
I stood on the street for what seemed like an hour, waiting on the police to arrive. It is amazing how many thoughts can race through your mind in such a short period of time.
What was missing? Were they still in the house? How did they get in? Would we ever feel secure in our home again? Who could have done this?
But all at once it hit me. The television, the Xbox, the jewelry and stuff didn't phase my mind at all, but my heart raced again as I thought of the impact of our computer and external hard drive, loaded with every picture, document, video and bit of research Brittany and I had worked so hard on the past several years. All of our wedding pictures, honeymoon pictures, pictures of nieces, nephews, grandparents and momentous life events were housed in our laptop and external hard drive.
I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt our computer would be gone, but what about our external hard drive? That old $100 box contained everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. A small plastic box contained hundreds of sermons, years of college and seminary papers, and years of Pharmacy study and notes.
At that point, nothing mattered other than getting in the house and seeing if that small grey box still remained.
But as I waited on the hill in front of our home and looked in at the front of our house, I was paralyzed with the parallel to our small grey box. Such an inexpensive, plastic box contained the most priceless objects of Brittany and my existence. No amount of insurance or money could replace those files housed in a very disposable and aging object.
How similar to our time on this earth. Our bodies, much like this small grey box, are prone to scratches, wear and tear and eventually death. But inside our transient bodies lies the priceless and the eternal: our soul.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? - Matthew 8:36-37
In essence, our soul, our eternity, is of the utmost importance. Our eternal security is of greater worth than any object, possession, achievement or status. Even more than that, as believers, this changes how we see people. Inside each of us, inside our worn out and fledging bodies, lies the most precious, priceless and irreplaceable thing a person has.
I aware of my own soul and its eternal security, not in my own hands or my own flesh and bones, but firmly and immovably in the hands of my Savior, Jesus. For those of us who have received the freedom, joy and security in Jesus, it drives us to worship and rejoice, but it also compels us to open our eyes to the souls all around us who need the hope, love, joy and salvation that comes through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I am happy to report that our external hard drive was nestled safely in its drawer. Our pictures are safe. Our documents are all accounted for. And thankfully, our missing items can be replaced. But I cannot help but think of the souls, housed much like our priceless treasures in an external hard drive, walking, working and wondering through our lives every day.