I am a treasure hunter.  I search for treasure.  I even find some!

From the time I was young, I always loved to embark on treasure expeditions.  No, I didn’t travel to exotic locations in my quests, but I did set out on a fair amount of searches nevertheless. 

I explored the old brewery in the town where I grew up looking for old Sebewaing Beer artifacts.  (Found some too.  Still have them!)  I wandered carefully (so as not to fall through the floors!) inside a few abandoned houses as well, seeing what might have been left behind.  (Rather slim pickings.  Other treasure seekers had been there before me.)   Native Americans used to inhabit the area where I lived as a boy, so the farm fields all around us held ancient artifacts.  (Found some of those also!) 

But there were treasure hunts and discoveries even closer than that!  Before the days of dumps, my ancestors were in the habit of burying their trash on the property.  Much of what was trash to them, old bottles and such, are now treasures.  When my father dug up the yard to begin building a new house in my teen years, the dirt piles he created were literally littered with his grandparents’ discards.  It was a veritable treasure trove for a treasure seeker like me!

I’ve always kept my eyes peeled for dropped money.  I’m regularly finding coins, and even occasionally a bill.  Even more occasionally a larger bill!  And I never pass a Coinstar without inspecting the coin return.  People regularly forget to grab the coins that didn’t get processed, some of which are silver coins – rejected because they are heavier than the usual “clad” coins.

I’ve even panned for gold and sluiced out a bit of “color” from the gravel.  Washington State isn’t as prime for gold as some other states, but there is some to be found in the right spots.

These days my preferred approach in my treasure hunting exploits is with a metal detector.  What amazing machines they are!  Not only do they easily detect metal objects underground or under water, but the better-quality ones can give the handler a very good idea of what might be below the coil by virtue of a number readout.

 Through the years I’ve found all kinds of treasure with my handy-dandy metal detector.  Lots of coins (some silver and some quite old), rings of all kinds (even toe rings!), military buttons and Boy Scout badges, old toys and antique tools, and plenty of unique items have found their way into my treasure pouch.  I never know what I will find, but I always know I’ll find something interesting!  In fact, there has never been a time when I didn’t uncover something worthwhile on my metal detecting hunts.

There’s another form of treasure hunt I regularly embark on as well.  It’s a treasure hunt in the extravagantly rich pages of the Bible.  I never know exactly what the Holy Spirit will reveal to me on each journey inside the cover, but I always know I’ll find something awesome!  Sometimes the discovery is a precious gold or silver truth; sometimes a gleaming new spiritual insight; sometimes a practical discovery; sometimes a lovely reminder of earlier times; sometimes a treasure to share.  In fact, there has never been a time when I didn’t uncover something worthwhile on my treasure hunts in God’s Word.

I’ve never gotten rich from my regular treasure hunting efforts, and I probably never will.  But I have become a wealthy man indeed from my treasure searches in the Scriptures.

Regular treasure hunts?  I discourage them.  (That leaves more for me to find!)  But treasure hunts in the Scriptures?  These are treasure hunts that all should embark upon, and frequently, because there is an unlimited amount of priceless riches to be found there.  And all who seek will find!

“But where can wisdom be found?  Where does understanding dwell?  No mortal comprehends its worth. … It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver.  It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.  Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold.  Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.  The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.  Where then does wisdom come from?  Where does understanding dwell? … God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells” (Job 28:selected verses).