Tim dumped the contents of the drawer onto a towel while replacing the old drawer knob with a new one.

I followed behind and sorted through what to keep and what to throw away.

The toy drawer has been part of our kitchen since the boys were little; but over the years, I’ve dropped things in it that seemed to have nowhere else to go.

As I put back old sunglasses for playing dress up and random Hot Wheels cars and action figures for under-the-table play time, I hesitated as I saw this nameplate mixed in with all the “make-believe” toys –

title drawer

Once mounted over an office door, this nameplate told people where they could find me.  It validated my position and in some ways gave me a sense of belonging.

I let go of my title last spring…………..

Stepped out of a full-time job in pursuit of a few dreams I just couldn’t pursue wholeheartedly while working forty hours a week.

Sitting on my kitchen floor last night and seeing this nameplate for the first time in a long time and realizing I had chosen to drop it into a drawer filled with toys reminded me of just how insignificant my title really was………..

and really how insignificant I am in many ways.

I was reading in the Old Testament this morning about the move of the Israelites through the wilderness toward the Promised Land and there was something about Miriam’s death that made me stop and read more closely.

One sentence wrapped up her life on this planet.

In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

Numbers 20:1

The next verse says nothing about how Miriam had rescued Moses from certain death as a baby by placing him in a basket in the Nile River to protect him from Pharoah’s soldiers.

The next verse says nothing about how she was brave enough to stand at a distance and watch her baby brother be scooped up by Pharoah’s daughter, of all people, and then have the courage to step forward and offer to find someone to nurse him for this woman.

The next verse says nothing about the time Miriam led the Israelite women in singing this song of praise to God in Exodus 15:20-21,

 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
    he has hurled into the sea.”

The next verse says nothing about the fact that Miriam helped Moses and Aaron lead the people out of Egypt as mentioned in Micah 6:4,

 “I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.”

No.

Immediately after Miriam dies and is buried this is what we read,

Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?  Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

That’s right.

Miriam died and the next thing on the timeline of Israelite history was people complaining about a lack of water.

Just like my nameplate in a toy drawer, life went on for the Israelite people.

Last night I sat and wondered,

“Do I throw this piece of plastic away-this plastic that once identified me as a little more than a wife and mom?  Or do I leave it here in the midst of toys?”

I glanced at it one more time, snapped a photo, and shut the drawer.

title drawer

 I knew I needed to hold on to this part of who I once was…………

and I needed to keep it in a place that made no sense.

Because I need to be reminded from time to time………….

that titles come and go……………just like Miriam did.

And that’s okay.

________________________________

The important part of Miriam’s story wasn’t her death.

It was her life.

It was her bravery and cleverness in saving Moses and her ability to lead women in praise who were certainly terrified and tired that mattered.

_______________________________

The important part of my life (and yours) isn’t the title we wear.

It’s the things that we do……………

and sometimes, like a nameplate in a toy drawer, I need to be reminded that any elevation on this planet is really make-believe because the only title that matters is the one I wear from knowing Him.

Child of God

His

Chosen

Anointed

Saved

Redeemed

Restored

Forgiven

Healed

Loved

Cherished

The list goes on and on…………………

There are so many titles that move us from a toy drawer to a treasure chest.

———————————–

And I feel like someone needs to read this today and be moved.

From the toy drawer to the treasure chest

You are so much more than a title.

You are a treasure.

———————————

Words have been difficult for me to find lately.

Blogging has been a challenge.

I wish I knew why.

But sometimes things happen

-like the dumping of a drawer or the reading of a verse-

that cause the words to flow again.

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,

Galatians 3:26

The Message says it so beautifully in II Thessalonians 3,

 God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ. So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

 Today, I hope you’ll feel the incredible significance of who you are even when you find your nameplate resting in a toy drawer.

You are chosen.

You are His.

And in the end,

that’s all that mattered to Miriam and all that will matter to us.