The Treasure Chest

When you talk about treasure chests a host of images come to mind, depending on your reference. If you have boys in the house a mom will often think of games involving Tom Sawyer or pirates. Thoughts might even involve digging on a island in the sand or some fun game. Several years ago we went camping with our girls and their families and my hubby buried one on the river bank. But this story is of another kind~more centered towards girls and young ladies.
If you remember I was a teen in the 60's and my morals were pretty indicative of the time. I was looking for love in all the wrong places.
When I had my two girls I immediately knew in my spirit that I did not want them to go through the heartache I did and that I would need to teach them deep truths grounded in the Lord.
At this point I had never heard of the chastity movement and as far as I knew there were no books about this type of training.
One day the Lord gave me a story to tell them and I have shared it often with other moms; I thought it might benefit some moms out there. Over the years some embellishments has been added but does not take away from the story. You may or may not agree and that is your prerogative but if you do I pray you might share it with others.

I saw a treasure chest, beautiful and intricately carved with rich gold and many jewels on it.
As beautiful as the outside was the inside was filled with the most precious and rare jewels of all types. This was a gift for a groom at the wedding, more costly than all else and more to be desired than any other gift. I saw two brides-one would carelessly open her treasure chest and grab a handful of gems and give them to whomever she fancied over the years while the other bride took such care of her chest and kept all the contents safe. The year came for the brides to give their grooms the chest but the one who had given so many of her treasures away, I noticed, the beauty of the chest had diminished so that it was ordinary while the bride who had cared and protected hers presented her groom with a beautiful chest. When the first groom looked at the chest, he was puzzled because it was just an ordinary box and as he opened it there was nothing inside while the second groom took his in awe and gazed at his wife. Slowly he opened it to find that all that were originally placed were still there and he was touched beyond words.
You see the treasure chest represents the bride-all the purity that she is born with; her hugs, love, loving looks, kisses and touch were the jewels on the inside that she had kept safe for her husband. You may think this is far fetched and that hugs and kisses don't need to be kept but it is in giving those away carelessly that one is apt to give more and more away so that there are no precious gifts left for her husband. I can still remember my girls being in early elementary school and seeing neighbor girls "making out" with jr high age boys and my girls innocently saying "Mom she is giving all her treasures away." This story has been told many times over the years and it is the Lord's. Once you give yourself away so carelessly there are parts of yourself you never can attain again. Having said that, the Lord is able to redeem what has been lost, as He did in my case. May this story impact one girl to save herself until marriage.

To God Be The Glory