"For your heart will always pursue what you value as your treasure" (Bible, Matthew 6). Yesterday friends of mine were all decked out for the football game that was coming up later. That made me think about the things that are important to us. We each have things that matter, things that we value. So, the question becomes what do you value and how does that get lived out? Merced values diversity and
therefore, we see the Dragon boat races, and the Lao Festival, Dia de los Muertos, Christmas parade and
so much more. Merced values young people and there are a ton of things happening for young people to get involved. On a personal level,
you value your family, which means you can't work 80 hours a week, you value health, so you can't just
be a couch potato, you value civic engagement and learning from people who think differently, which means you can't spout off on social media about 'them'.
I love the proverb that states that our hearts will always pursue what we value. It made me think about my values, what I stand for and how often I don't live out what I say I value. I say I value my friends, but I am not always available to them. I say I value our world, but I purchase items created by slave labor, buy
cleaning supplies that are full of forever chemicals, and eat foods that take an enormous amount of
resources to produce. I value my family but often come home exhausted. I know, it is difficult in our times to stay consistent in all this, but there are other things that I can stay consistent in small ways: how I spend my time, how I engage in justice issues, how I respond to my friends and the people I know, how I am going to be generous and give the benefit of the doubt. I want to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. If I value these things, I cannot sit still and not do anything when I see a unhoused person, or an overwhelmed teacher, or a person whose papers are not in order. I cannot relax
when there are people being trafficked, when neighbors are not being paid a fair wage, when systems hinder the movement to a better life. I cannot be quiet and not let people know that the God of the
universe still cares for people.
What do we treasure and how does that get lived out in our daily lives?