Easily Distracted

I took Ellie to see Aladdin, her first “big girl” movie, and there was a wonderfully illustrated scene where Aladdin, a thief, is told to walk through a cave holding mounds of treasure without touching anything to locate and return a small, dusty oil lamp. Unfortunately, Aladdin’s monkey Abu can’t shake the temptation and touches a massive jewel. That disobedience unleashes a judgement of death on both he and Aladdin. Narrowly escaping that death with the simple oil lamp he was sent in for, Aladdin is stunned to find that the pursuit of the simplest of treasures produced a Genie who was “all powerful.”

Abu was distracted by the easily attainable treasure that laid right before him. Although he had specific instructions not to touch, his inability to harness self-control and look ahead to the goal of the oil lamp, not only distracted him from his purpose in the cave but nearly disqualified him from attaining the one true treasure.

The cave we’ve been called to walk through is life on earth. We have the ultimate goal of Jesus as our prize in heaven, but the enemy has set treasure traps to lure us away from the narrow path. Satan lies in wait for us to be captivated by shiny shortcuts and choose the easy road where at the end waits certain destruction. .
We were designed with the call on our souls to seek out an ultimate reward. When that call is unfocused on the true reward found only in Christ Jesus, we are easily tempted away with the lure of fleeting worldly gain. Do not be distracted. You were born to navigate this cave of life focused not on shiny diversions, but on the one true treasure who leads to life and more life.

Matthew 6:19-21 “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”