Treasures That Matter

"What's the matter, honey?" Mom asked when Amelia came into the house. "Your face is telling me something isn't right."Amelia's words came in a rush. "Abby's always bragging about her clothes and all the places she gets to go and how much money she has. Today she wouldn't stop talking about the spring break trip her family has planned. I'm so tired of hearing about it!"Mom looked at her thoughtfully. "You're not jealous, are you?" Amelia blushed a little. After a moment, Mom said, "I'm going to give you two gifts.""Really?" asked Amelia in surprise. Then she narrowed her eyes. "I have a feeling there's a catch to this."Mom smiled. "Here's the first gift." She reached out and gave Amelia a big hug. "I love you, love you, love you," Mom told her, using a favorite family phrase."Love you too, Mom," Amelia replied as Mom went to get her purse. "But I still think there's a catch."Mom grinned, opened her purse, and handed Amelia some money. "Here's your second gift."Amelia squealed. "I hear the ice cream truck coming. Can I use it for ice cream?" Mom nodded, and Amelia hurried out, forgetting to look for a catch.When Amelia was ready for bed that evening, she went to tell her parents goodnight. "What do you have left of the two gifts I gave you?" asked Mom."Well, the money is all gone, and so is the ice cream I bought--though I might still have some blue moon left on my teeth!" She laughed as she hugged her mother. "But I still have your love, and you're not getting it back!""You'll always have it," Mom said. "I gave you those two gifts because I wanted you to realize that you have something far more valuable than anything the world has to offer. Earthly things are like the money I gave you--they don't last. But love does. And along with the love of your family, you also have God's love, which is far greater than human love. And because of God's unconditional love, you've been given eternal life through Jesus, who died for your sins so you could be God's child. So you see, you're really a very rich young lady."–Susi McCord