Joan Spiers has been reunited with a diamond ring that she accidentally flushed down the toilet two years ago, after a waste firm helped her sift through 54,500 litres of sewage. Spiers was at a Hotel when she lost the antique gold ring, set with a certified diamond and a handful of smaller diamonds. The 67-year-old then paid a waste disposal company to put a camera into the cesspit tank and subsequently filter 12,000 gallons of waste. One worker was even sent into the tank with a metal detector – to no avail.
Joan was understandably distraught. The ring was worth a significant amount of money but it was also of great emotional value because it was given to her by her late husband. It was sheer coincidence that one of the employees was sent to the same works two-and-a-half years later and stumbled upon the ring. He took it in the shower with him to rinse it off and brought it into the office. Spiers, described as “emotional, to say the least” after the find, has had the ring professionally cleaned and is believed to be storing it in “a much safer place” now.
Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is a bit like this woman. He said in Matthew 13:44-46:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
As a Christian, we can sometimes wonder if it is all worth it. Is it worth going through all the “muck” of being picked on, made fun of, left out, struggling to fit in, fighting temptation, feeling like you are missing out on all the fun? Is it worth it? Absolutely! The Kingdom of God is extremely valuable. It is worth sacrificing everything. That’s the point of what Jesus said. And, of course, it is good to remember that Jesus did sacrifice his all, so that we could receive the Kingdom of God as a gift of grace.
So if you are feeling like the Christian life is all a bit hard at the moment and you are even thinking of chucking it all in, remember, it is worth it. Hang in there. Don’t give up. Keep striving for heaven. Live for the Kingdom. Don’t flush your faith down the toilet. You may not get a second chance like Joan Spiers did!