treasures in jars of clay.

I am surrounded by people still reeling from an event that will likely be remembered for the remainder of their lives. I know that I will. Three days ago, my city was struck by an earthquake. A big one. And we are still feeling it's effects. Aftershocks have now become normal for us and I no longer jump when I feel the house moving. I still occasionally wake up in the night because a sudden jolt of the earth interrupts my peaceful bliss. Yet for all this, I am humbled at how blessed we are. As a city and as a nation, we have suffered no casualties, only building damage. As a family, we have lost some roof tiles. And as an individual, I have lost a precious perfume bottle which was bought for me for as a birthday gift. I fell in love with it when I first saw it. It was beautiful and delicate and bespoke intricate refinement. I filled it with a perfume that held a precious memory for me. My grandmother had Alzheimer's disease in the years before her death. On the very last night that I saw her, (she didn't remember who I was) she asked me where my husband was. Keep in mind that I was 11 at the time! She said other hilarious, nonsensical things that stuck in my mind and ever since, and it has been the way I remember her. A funny, quirky, forgetful, lovely old lady. When she died in 2001, we bought a yellow rose which we planted in her memory. It had a beautiful, distinctive fragrance and one day I found a perfume which smelled just like it. I bought it and put it in the bottle, the one which broke three days ago. Yet having said so, I have lost nothing. Sure, a bottle of perfume. But I still hold the memory. Yes, some roof tiles. But they are going to be repaired and replaced. My family is safe and well. And truly, my city has lost some beautiful and historically significant buildings but its people are alive and well. And for all we have lost, and as much as I grieve for what we have lost, I have gained something more precious, more beautiful. I have considered my treasures. Re-examined my priorities and my values. And after doing this, I have realised that they are truly not found in material things. My treasures are stored in a place where they cannot be destroyed, cannot fade away into nothing. No amount of earthly corrosion and destruction can affect them. They are safe. And knowing this, my heart is filled with peace and tranquil stillness. It breathes a sigh. It finds rest. In the midst of terror and confusion, I stand on solid ground. My rock, who is the same today as He was yesterday that He will be tomorrow.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. ~Ps. 62:5-6

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ~2 Cor 4:7

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Day seven of September Challenge- a memory

And unwrapping and celebrating the small things at chatting at the sky