For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. –Matthew 6:21

Several weeks ago I posted part one in the Matthew 6:21 series; a group of posts exploring the reasons and ways we form connections and become dedicated to certain causes. Part one was The Power of Knowing and looked at how an intimate acquaintance with people and missions affects how invested we are in them. This post will focus on how important the treasure of time is.

Time is one of our most valuable resources because it’s not replenishable. Once a minute is gone, we can’t get it back. As Job said,

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? –Job 7:1

The Bible tells us to be good stewards. Time is definitely something that is important to manage well in order to be a good steward. (I’m pretty sure all of us are aware of areas where our time manage could improve!) God puts a high value on time.

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time because the days are evil. –Ephesians 5:16

Redeem the time. Redeem means to rescue from loss. To buy it up. To not let it go to waste.

This week many of my friends are in or preparing for finals week at college. They are very aware of the value of time right now. College students across the country would pay money to get some extra time to prepare. Which leads to the main point of this post.

When you think about college students, how do you separate the serious scholars from the kids who are at school to party? How they spend their time, right? It’s a pretty safe bet that the kids who aren’t studying for their finals don’t place a very high value on their test scores. But guess what? The students spending hours pouring over text books and fighting exhaustion to polish their papers have a very strong interest in the grades they will get.

The same concept applies to the rest of life. You will be invested in the things you choose to dedicate time to. (Side Note: The time investment=dedication thing doesn’t seem to work as consistently with activities you are forced into.) As a very simple example, my mom likes jigsaw puzzles. She has a much stronger sense of achievement when she finishes a 1000 piece puzzle than when she completes a 300 piece puzzle. Why? She invested a lot more time in the bigger puzzle. To give another example, I’m an author. When I write a novel, I care much more about its success than I care about the success of a three page short story I wrote.

You can see how this applies to “serving the least of these.” When you care about orphans, you invest time into learning and serving them. The more time you spend, the more important it is to you.

Many times we view a lack of money as a huge barrier to helping orphans. But really, time is even more valuable than dollar bills. Even if you have an income, you must invest time to earn it. If you don’t have a job, that time is available for you to use in a different way. Just like putting effort into knowing orphans is an important aspect of serving them, consciously dedicating time to service is of great value.

God has given each and every one of us treasure. He’s watching to see what kind of stewards we will be. How will you manage your time? Where does your treasure say your heart is?

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. —Matthew 6:21

Over the past few months, I’ve been contemplating what causes us to become invested in certain people, organizations, and causes. What makes us form emotional attachments or diligently pursue something when there are few positive emotions present? As I’ve been thinking about the subject, Matthew 6:21 has continuously popped into my mind.

Usually when I see that verse, my first thought is “treasure = money.” But that’s not necessarily the case. There are many things that we value. Over the next few posts, I’m hoping to do a series of blog posts examining different “treasures” and how they affect our attitudes towards orphans and ministering to orphans.

This particular post has it’s roots in a video one of my best friends shared with me about a month ago. The Courage Home video introduces viewers to two young American women and the eleven special needs orphans they are fostering in India.

As I told my brother earlier this week, I knew as soon as I saw the video that I was a “goner.” That realization actually confused me a little. As much as I love orphans, the special needs spectrum usually overwhelms me. Because of this, special needs orphans and ministries that reach out to them rarely captivate my attention. The Courage Home grabbed not only my attention but my interest and enthusiasm. Why?

I think it’s because they are known. The children at the Courage Home are not pictures with a brief, descriptive bio. The posts made about them are not put together by representatives living far away. They’re not being explained by aid workers who only spent few days with them. Instead, these children are introduced through the love, concern, and knowing of their foster moms.

That thought reminds me of a poem titled A Woman of no Distinction. It’s about the woman at the well, and the recurring phrase of the poem says,

For to be known is to be loved,
And to be loved is to be known.

I have such respect for people like Tori DiMartile and Nikki Cochrane because they have left their homes, family, culture, and comfort to know and love these children. I am grateful for them (and others like them) because they make it possible for others to know and love as well.

Their work is a beautiful picture of the gospel. Jesus left his place in heaven to come to earth and know, experience, and love humanity. By that process, he became the bridge between heaven and earth; the mediator between mankind and the Heavenly Father.

Jesus understood our need to be known. Instead of being a benevolent but impersonal God, he took the form of a man.

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. —Hebrews 4:15 

We form connections by knowing. Not just knowing facts and figures, but knowing hopes and dreams, personalities and habits, hurts and joys. We put more effort into getting to know people we like, and the people we become closest to are often the ones we love the most.

If you want to help and understand orphans more effectively, strive to know them and the people working directly with them. Even more importantly, throw yourself into knowing God more fully and allow Him to give you His heart for the fatherless.

Can you think of any ways to know the fatherless? Can you think of other “treasures” that guide our hearts?

P.S. Louise, the current Advocate & Pray child, is from the Courage Home. Consider joining the prayer chain and sharing the post to help her fill her sponsorship needs!

Read more of the Matthew 6:21 Series.