He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a lost check from your grandmother.” (The Gospel of Daniel 6:1)
Okay, that’s not how it goes. And there is no Gospel of Daniel. But, I learned a lesson this past week that would apply to this “verse” very well.
My MawMaw and PawPaw drove in from Lufkin to watch me graduate. We went out to eat Friday night, and as we were leaving, she gave me an envelope with my name written on the front in her 83-year-old handwriting. I said thanks but waited until after dinner to open it once my little brother and I were back in the car. It was a sweet card with an even sweeter check. I put the check back in the card (not in the envelope) and put it in the backseat as we pulled out of Cracker Barrel and onto the Interstate.
Fast forward five minutes. Keith Urban is blaring on the radio and my brother just put an after dinner dip in his mouth. As we’re talking, he rolls down the window to spit. (I know. It’s redneck.) We drove that way for a few minutes when it hit me. “Wait! Roll that back up! I’ve got a lot of stuff in the back that I don’t need to loose.”
Back in the driveway at home, I turned around in my seat to grab all my stuff and take it inside. I grabbed the card and envelope, but guess what?
No check.
I panicked. I know that they can always write another, but how irresponsible and ungrateful does it look to lose a check like that only fifteen minutes after getting it? So… I do the logical thing and make my brother turn the car upside down with me. And we looked everywhere. Between seats. Under books. Around the console. But guess what?
No check. I’m officially freaking out. What if somebody found and cashed it already?
Four days and much stress later, I’m getting into my car and I notice a little white spot sticking out from under my floormat. There it was! Finally! How in the world it got under my floormat, I have no idea. But… I do know that I haven’t felt relief and joy over finding some lost thing in a very long time.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45)
What if I felt constantly about the kingdom the way I felt about that check?



