Tuesday, November 6

 ‘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.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’
Matthew 13:44-52

Once in a while, I spend time thinking of my worth as person.  There are days when I doubt I contribute anything to those around me.  To be fair there are also the days when I rejoice that I have been able to be of help to someone who needed it.

I feel that as a member of the LGBTQ community that sometimes we wonder, "can I offer anything to my faith community?"  Perhaps it is because we have been told that in fact we are without worth, perhaps it is because we are not sure of our place within the faith community, or maybe it is our doubt of our own faith. Whatever the case may be, I think it is nice to once in a while, actually scratch that, it is nice everyday to remind ourselves that we contribute something very meaningful to those around us.

All of God's children have something we need to give. Perhaps for some of us, we need to search and discover the talent or gift that we have that can bless someone else. For others, we may have a one of a kind talent, that needs to be given to the community to enrich other's lives. Whatever you can give, know that we are all like treasure to God, and God will come looking, and we need to be prepared to be of worth everyday.

My prayer:
Seeking and Searching God, may I understand today, that I am of worth, and that I can actually change my world for the better. Help me O God to live up to my calling as your treasure each day. Amen!

Dave Heckman