Last Valentine’s Day, my husband Jim gave me a beautiful necklace and earrings. He always does his research and carefully chooses a gift for me. I feel special nearly every day by the kind and thoughtful things he does. Last Valentine’s was no exception. He knows I like red and will spend lots more on a jewelry item than I would. I loved the set–especially the earrings–but it was mostly because my sweet husband picked them out for me.

Matching gold tipped rose set of jewelry.

I didn’t think it could be replaced…

Last December I had a busy day of cruising several stores including Costco, shopping for last minute items before Christmas. After I put everything away, I was dismayed when I glanced in the mirror and noticed one earring was missing! I was so disappointed! I didn’t think it could be replaced and was upset with myself that I’d lost it. It was a special gift after all. I hunted around the house, checked the car to see if it had come off there. I called some of the merchants. Nothing. When Jim came home, I confessed my loss. He was gracious and commiserated with me. I didn’t think it would ever be found. After all, it could be anywhere. It was gone.

A couple of weeks later, Jim gave me a little box to open and there nestled in the box was another set of gold tipped earrings! “Now you have three. A spare in case you lose another one,” he said. I was grateful and put them in my jewelry box.

It’s second nature to do it.

One of our cars is a hybrid and we plug it in to the electricity every time we come home. It’s second nature to do it. Just last week, I got out of the car to plug it in, and I glanced at the floor and here’s what I saw:

Lost earring–now found!

It lay there like a treasure…

It had been there for weeks and neither of us noticed it there. We’d worked in the garage just the week before, cleaning and organizing–even sweeping most of the floor, but there it lay there like a treasure, waiting to be discovered. Of course I was delighted and ran into the house to tell Jim. We returned the extra set of earrings and I put the found earring into its rightful place.

It was waiting to be discovered for weeks...

How many times do we mechanically put things away and not notice what’s right under our feet? That earring sat there waiting to be discovered for weeks.

And when she finds it….

I’m reminded of the parable of the woman who’d lost a coin and looked and swept until she found her coin. I confess I gave up–and we had the means to get another set. How often do we give up? Here’s the parable:

Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God. (Luke 15:8-10 The Message)

Look for the Treasure

I don’t know what you’re looking for today. Maybe you haven’t lost anything. Perhaps you’re discouraged about something or someone. Look for the treasure. It’s there even though you may not see it now.