By Doug Creamer

I went to my mom’s recently and she had a box of old photographs for us to look through. There were many family pictures from when my siblings and I were little and all at home. There were many pictures of relatives that I didn’t know or had only met a few times. Mom told me who they were and how I was related to them.

There was a picture of my mother as a child with a small dog, but she said she couldn’t remember ever having a dog. There were other pictures of my mother and her brother when they were teenagers. It is hard to imagine your parents were ever teenagers.

My mom and dad were high school sweethearts. There were pictures of them together and it was interesting to see them. There was a picture of Mom and Dad on the night of a big dance they attended. Mom described her dress in detail. My dad was a good-looking young man, especially in the suit he wore that night.

There were pictures of my parents as young parents. There weren’t as many pictures taken back in those days because you had to pay to develop the film. Most of the pictures of the four kids were taken at Christmas, birthday celebrations, or when we were on vacation. I did find some pictures of the first day of school. Those were required photos when we were wearing our new “back to school” outfits.

Most of the pictures had dates, so we could figure out how old we were in them. The ones that didn’t required extra thought to determine our ages. There were pictures of some of our houses through the years, which brought back memories from living in those places. We talked about how some of our houses were laid out. We also talked about when I shared my bedroom and when I got my own room.

It was fun to walk down memory lane with my mom. It was really fun to hear her tell stories of when she was young and the fun she had growing up. I know my parents grew up during some very difficult times. They didn’t have all the possessions we have but they were able to find pleasure in the simplest of things. It was fun to listen to Mom’s perspective on her youth and on our family. There were some old classic stories and many new ones that I hope I can remember and treasure the rest of my life.

There are many things that we treasure. I think about all the special things we have for the holidays. We have some very special Christmas ornaments that are real treasures. I consider my books to be treasures. I own beautiful pieces of pottery. I also have wood turnings that were made by my best friend, which are treasures. Naturally, our own pictures are treasures.

While we all treasure things mainly because they trigger good memories, we need to consider where our most precious treasures are stored. All of our earthly treasures are wearing out. But if we store up treasures for ourselves in heaven we are promised that those treasures will never rot, spoil or wear out. Those are the kinds of treasures that I want to build up.

How do we build treasures for heaven? When we support our local church by bringing our tithes and offerings, we are building treasure in heaven. When we serve others in the church, God promises to reward us in heaven. When we give in any capacity to those in need, we are building treasures in heaven. When we find ways of serving and helping the elderly, you can be assured that God notices. When we plant seeds of faith in children and help to train them in the way that they should go, we are doing God’s work. When we reach out to the lost with God’s love He will help us and remember our work.

I want to encourage you to build a great retirement in heaven where the value of what you have will not depend on the stock market. Investing in the Kingdom of God pays out-of-this-world dividends. God remembers everything you do for Him. Be diligent to invest in your heavenly destination. Your devotion and hard work here will pay incredible eternal treasures for you to enjoy for all eternity. Where are you most precious treasures? I hope in heaven!

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.