"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:21
In the passage where you find this quote, Jesus encourages his followers to "store up treasures in heaven." God built into human beings the desire to chase after treasure. In the biblical context, this treasure in heaven is stored up by following the commandments of Jesus. At one point he compares the kingdom of heaven with a pearl of great price and a great treasure, and for a follower of Jesus, this is where their treasure lies. Whether or not that describes you, for all of humanity, our purpose and what drives us comes from what we believe our treasure is.
It's in this way that the wisdom found here doesn't only apply to followers of Jesus, as any person's true treasure is what their heart seeks after. It is that which gives them purpose. When was the last time you spent time thinking about your purpose for your time on this little blue ball in space? What drives you? What is the "treasure" you seek, and what steps are you taking to seek it?
It's easy for us to switch on the autopilot and put one foot in front of the other. Wake up, go to work, watch some TV, go to bed. But what's it all for? This is a little post for such a big question, but I feel it's an important question. We each have our own answer for it. Just as we are the only ones who know the answer, we're also the only ones who can chase that answer: we can't rely on someone else to do the chasing for us.
Every so often, I like to stop and reorient myself with my purpose. Sometimes my heart gets distracted by glittery little other things and is pulled away from the pearl of great price. It doesn't take long for me to remember that the cheap fool's gold that has led to my distraction is nothing in comparison with the treasure I truly seek. The renewed purpose once again ignites the fire and gives me the courage to take rewarding risks I wouldn't otherwise consider.