When was the last time you went in your attic? (I know…that sounds like a pest-control commercial, but hang with me…). If you’re like me, you hardly have a clue what’s up there. Who knows? You might even be housing a family of small, baby squirrels somewhere between your Christmas decorations and old tee-ball trophies.
I spent the day cleaning out my grandmother’s attic—something that obviously hasn’t been done in years. I tried hard to get out of it, but to no avail. You’d think after my brother and I broke four separate glass items that my mother would’ve just asked us to stop, but that didn’t work…
It’s amazing how much junk you can accumulate over time. There was stuff in that attic from over 50 years ago, most of it completely useless, evidenced by the avalanche of trash out by the street.
However, every once in awhile, we would open up a box and find a treasure. We found a box of old “LIFE” magazines from the ‘60s. We uncovered some of my grandfathers childhood pictures. There was even an old Nazi Germany dagger in one of the boxes.
The treasures were there all along. They were just covered up by years of neglect. To get to these treasures, though, we had to dig. We had to sort through piles of worthless old stuff to find what really mattered.
I think we’ve done the same thing with the Holy Spirit. We’re told in 1 Peter 1 that upon our salvation, we are given “all things that pertain to life and godliness” through the Holy Spirit. In other words, we are given a great treasure. However, as time passes, we cover that treasure up with junk until we forget that it’s even there. We don’t feel it anymore. We don’t hear it anymore. And we certainly don’t follow it anymore.
But what would happen if we uncovered it? What would happen if we dug it out and starting using it again?
Where have you placed the Holy Spirit in your life? What’s covering it up?
Maybe it’s time to move those “Christmas decorations” out of the way so that you can rediscover the treasure that’s inside of you.
[Note: I must thank Francis Chan for making me aware of this dilemma. Please check out his latest book “Forgotten God” for more on this subject.]
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