Treasure

Treasure. It's what every little boy dreams of finding as he makes pirate maps in his backyard and sets out on imaginary swashbuckling adventures through the summer months. It's what every teenager dreams of as he gets his first job in a fast food joint and dreams of one days owning his own car. And it's what every adult dreams of as they think of that house by the beach, the Ferrari, or the houseboat. It seems that for most of our lives we seek after treasure. The treasure may change shape, price, and size, but no matter what age or stage of life we may be in we could rightly be defined as treasure seekers. The question is, what is our treasure? Where do we spend the assets of our time, thoughts, energy, and focus? For many in my stage of life it may be our grades, seeking the treasure of the coveted 'A' or entrance into a specific program. For others it may be a promotion, recognition, a job, or a relationship. We all have treasures. The Savior stated "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Luke 12:15). So where are our hearts? Are our hearts centered purely on ourselves, our possessions, our goals, our desires? Or are they focused on the lives of others, those who stand in need, and helping others to reach higher and to reach their dreams? For myself, I'm afraid the answer lies on the side of seeking my own treasure rather than helping others to discover theirs. It's interesting to read stories such as Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island or other pirate and treasure seeking stories. The pirates always waste away their lives in pursuit of their own selfish treasure and by so doing lose their lives. On the other hand we see the stories of the classic hero who's willing to give away everything for the sake of others and by so doing discovers his true treasure and true joy. They are examples of the Savior's teaching when he said "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake [or for the sake of others] shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). It is when we seek to help others discover their treasure that we discover the only true and lasting treasure and we realize that it is sweeter and more fulfilling than any treasure we could have pursued on our own.

"He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." -Matthew 10:39

One of the principle teachings of the Savior during His mortal ministry was the command to lose our lives in order to find it. It is a paradox that seems to be little understood in popular Western culture. As a people in general we seem to be obsessed with the concept of "discovering ourselves". How many of us have wondered "Who am I? What makes me, me? Can I really make any difference? What is the purpose of all this?" Many undertake so called "journeys of discovery" in an attempt to discover the answers to these questions. Some attempt such a journey by visiting far off places, discovering new cultures, or through academic or professional pursuits. In some way all of us are searching for a place to which we can belong, an identity in a world that has become so overly stimulated that one hardly has time to think or reason before an identity is superimposed upon us by the media, peer groups, professors, etc. Thus in our pursuit to "find our lives" we often lose ourselves in the stream of information and societal pressure that seeks to define us.

I have often felt at just such a loss. When returning home from the library past midnight after laboring over a paper or some other assignment, I have looked up at the sky and asked myself if any of it really matters. Is my life to be defined by the quality of the essays I write, or the number of math problems I solve? Am I to be defined by merely by a letter grade? Are those the things for which I will be remembered? And so the questions come.

The true question is, How can we find ourselves? How can we discover and determine our identity and purpose in life if it is not to be found in searching for it? The Savior provided the answer, he said, "He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it". We discover ourselves, our purpose, and our identity when in fact we do not think about ourselves at all! As we turn outward to serve our fellowman, and so serve God, we discover that our lives are not defined by personal pursuits, but by the lives of those with whom we associate. We can choose to live life as an island, alone in what is sometimes a selfish pursuit to discover ourselves, or we can choose to lose ourselves in service and love to those around us. Eventually we will look back and discover that our lives have become so much greater than a single island. We will instead discover that our lives are defined by the lives of those whom we have touched and who have in turn touched us. Mother Teresa put it well when she said, "At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by 'I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.'" That we might all take a little more time to look outside of ourselves and to lose our own lives for the sake of others!

Life Reflejada

It's been a good minute since I've written a blog post or even thought of blogging, but sitting here in my apartment on a Sunday afternoon got me thinking and reflecting on life, its many twists and turns, surprises, joys, and difficulties etc. Sometimes it just helps to write things out, to explore thoughts and emotions as they flow through a pen and pencil or through the keyboard of a computer. So what better means than a blog or journal right? Life Reflejada is meant to be nothing more or less than my thoughts on life, its progression and meaning, reflections on the normal everyday circumstances that occur, as well as the sometimes pivotal and extraordinary moments of our lives. Hopefully there will also be a little bit of how maintaining an eternal perspective can bring joy and peace to most any moment of our lives. So for those few of you that will read this blog, I hope you enjoy it!