The Joy in Finding That Which is Real
One of my most favorite things to do on the Oregon coast is look for agates. There is just something about sitting in the sun and running your hand through the rocks and the sand and finding those semi-precious stones that makes for a good day. My sister is an expert at finding them even in the places where I had just been, spotting them amongst the regular, albeit pretty, beach rocks.
Years ago, on our first trip there, I had no idea what to look for so she showed us several varieties she had at her home and pointed out the specific characteristics that made them agates instead of ordinary rocks. Once at the beach, I found what I thought was an agate and showed it to her for confirmation. She held it in her hand and proclaimed:
“That’s a levaright!”
I got all excited and happy.
“A levaright!? What’s a levaright?”
In her best Big Sister Voice she said, “That’s a leave-it-right there.”
I had many such rocks that I thought were more than what they were. She quickly helped me sort through the levarights from the agates.
I was disappointed that my haul was suddenly so much less, but that day I wasn’t really interested in collecting rocks, I wanted to find genuine agates and she patiently helped me see the difference.
There are many types of levarights in our world masquerading as the real thing. Sometimes we get confused and are tricked by the clever camouflage of things better left alone.
As we search through our life for that which is true and lasting, we can have faith in the promise that the Lord will help us discern between the genuine and the artificial. He will help us see the difference if we ask and believe.
“For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
Learning to discard the rocks and search more diligently for the agates helped me be much better at finding those beautiful semi-precious stones. Thanks to my sister, my eyes have been trained to see them and I’m a lot less fooled by the levarights.
At times in our quest to find something of significance, we cling to our perceptions. It is human nature to want to be right especially when we have invested time and energy in our pursuit. It takes courage to let go, and patience to discover things of lasting value.
Like the first original agate in my hand used as a touchstone for finding more, measuring our perceptions against the gospel of Christ will train us to see things as they really are and drop the leavarights on the sand.
