The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Matthew 13:44
Jesus tells us repeatedly that to enter God’s Kingdom, we must give up everything else. There is this parable, and the similar one about the pearl, and of course there is the story of the rich man who cannot bring himself to sell everything to follow Jesus. And it’s not just about possessions – Jesus even says we must hate our family to become his disciple (Luke 14:26).
I’ll be honest: I haven’t found this to be a welcoming message. And it hasn’t inspired me to begin the laborious process of letting go of my preoccupations and obsessions to make room for Christ.
But on rereading the parable above, I was struck by one word: joy.
The man who finds the hidden treasure does not sell his possessions because he is practicing self-denial. He does it in joy.
I’m sure there is a place in my spiritual life for self-denial, but what if I got started by ridding myself of the things I would be delighted to see gone?
Jesus, help me to find joy in making space for you. Amen.