9/11 and $14

I received an email from a friend about the glorious homegoing of her 94-year-old dad. She writes, “I was surprised by my reaction when Dad took his last breath as I shouted through my tears ‘I am so happy! I am so happy! Dad made it – He is in the very presence of the Lord.' ” As I thought about her reaction, I am in awe at the thought that I, too, will one day stand in His very presence. She experienced first hand what it says in Psalm 30:5 (NLT), Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning and, again, in Revelation 7:17b (NIV), And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Tomorrow, we will remember the tragedy of 9/11 and mourn again for so many lost lives from that fateful day. I did not personally lose a loved one but I lost, as did all Americans, the right to feel safe and secure in this land we love. Yet, maybe the better lesson learned from such an excruciating loss like 9/11 occurs in the continuing story from my friend. She writes that as her brother was later going through his father’s wallet, he came across $14. He mused whether that was all this life had come to—$14? "Then the Lord prompted him with, 'You are not looking at life from the right perspective. What else is significant about the number 14?' My brother said to the Lord, ‘Dad had 14 grandchildren.’ God then sweetly said to my brother 'That is where your dad's treasure was—his grandchildren.' Isn't that just like the Lord to gently turn our eyes back to what is really important – family?” Our treasure must not be centered in our bank account or all the security measures we might establish. We have seen firsthand how these fail. Instead, choose treasure made up of gold, silver and jewels that will never be destroyed: faith, family, friends, and freedom. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21(NIV).