Precious

We all have things, people, memories, events, what have you, that are precious to us, that we hold so very dear and treasure. We treat what is precious to us with protection and great care and lots of attention.

Sometimes we don’t recognize that something has become precious or extremely important to us, although our behavior and actions show others.

As an example of both acknowledged and unacknowledged, look at Sméagol and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. The One Ring to Rule Them All is found by Sméagol and his friend. Immediately the Ring starts to work its power, and before long it has become Sméagol’s “Precious” (although you need to read that as Preeeesssssush). Sméagol literally will kill to keep the Ring. It comes into Frodo’s possession through the storyline and becomes a burden he is charged with destroying. But slowly, it becomes apparent Frodo is more and more under the spell of the Ring. His focus slips away from what he is charged to do and becomes on ownership of the Ring.

See how that happened? Accomplishment of the mission took second place to owning the Precious. The Precious became the focus. The power the Precious gave its owner became all important. More important than friendship, mission, calling, even life. Frodo became secretive, suspicious, deluded, and selfish.

As I was thinking about this, I was prompted to examine my own life for My Precious’. What am I grasping so tightly that I am willing to give up even life for something or someone. What am I keeping from God and His best, in order to retain illusory control? Who am I pushing aside, even assigning evil motives, in order to keep My Precious? Where am I secretive, suspicious, deluded, or selfish?

What does God need to wrest away from me and throw into the flames? Can I recognize a Precious and give it to Him?