When you were a child did you ever dream of finding a treasure map? Did you imagine following the steps and paces; turning north at the large rock and digging beneath the branches of the big tree? Did you envision wiping away the dirt from the top of the trunk, prying open the lid and marveling at the treasure inside?

I am discovering recently that my life has been a treasure map of sorts; except that ,well, there is no actual map. It is a map – if you will – that  is in my heart. It hasn’t always been easy to read and the treasure isn’t just something I believe I will find at the end of a rainbow or under the big black X, but something rather that I am accumulating along the journey of becoming. It is the treasure accumulated by climbing the large hills, facing adversity and the elements to find an oft obscured dotted line on a map I cannot see that brings me unexpected and unforetold treasure.  I am finding that sometimes the turns come when I think they shouldn’t and take me to places you never thought you would go. I am also discovering that the treasure I am collecting comes in many forms: The surprising discovery of a new talent that brings me joy and daily challenge to be better, the unending gift of friends who have your back when the world comes crashing in and also are appropriately giddy when you have good news, a community where love and Jesus compel us forward and the astounding challenge and ridiculous privilege of being a parent. Best of all, a loyal  travel companion who is ame every dot of the way undergirding me with his love.

If there is one thing I have learned on my quest it is that as I walk the path of my life, even when it is hard to discover, the little dotted line that stretches out behind me all the way to 1969 keeps revealing itself with surprising little dots of wonder and heartache and confetti laced celebration. I can’t wait to see the places my invisible map still has to take me. I do know this; I need a bigger treasure chest.