I heard the other day that the fires in California do not discriminate. They have burned property of the rich and poor alike.

But it dawned on me that it was less about the fire itself than about the fire's message that doesn't discriminate. At times like this, it's the message of what's truly important that burns into the hearts of the rich and poor alike.

On Christmas Eve in 1983, my sister Connie's home caught fire in Brookville, Indiana. She had wrapped the presents and prepared the food to take to her inlaw's house for their evening celebration. Connie had just carried the second of her 1-year-old twins to the car and had come back to get the presents when she saw the smoke. Within an hour, everything was gone--including their cat. The below-zero temperatures had caused the firemen's hoses to freeze. Everything had seemed to work against them.

Or was it for them? It didn't take long for Connie to shut down the holiday noise around her and remember what was truly important. Everything could be replaced except for lost lives. I realized Connie had discovered this truth when she arrived at my house the next day. Her face was white and mascara-streaked with the events of the night. She managed a smile, however, as she said, "I would have been really mad if I had taken the time to clean my house before it burned."

It's one thing to read Jesus' words in Matthew 6:19-21:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

It's quite another thing to see the truth of Matthew 6:19-21 played out in our lives as Connie did.

You see, all we really have of lasting value is relationships--first with God and then with each other. Everything else is only an add-on that won't be there long regardless of how tightly we hold onto it or how permanently we plan on possessing it. Fires are often accompanied by their Disaster cousins such as divorce, bankruptcy, or a bad diagnosis. When they arrive, life changes, priorities shift, and another opportunity presents itself for us to make the main thing the main thing.

Jesus knew that our hearts follow our treasures. He wanted us to make Him our number one treasure so our hearts would belong to Him, too.

Thing is, if we believe Matthew 6:19-21, we must also believe what Jesus went on to say in Matthew 6:33:
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."

Jesus wasn't trying to take away the stuff that a thief could steal or a moth, rust--or fire--could destroy. He just wanted us to choose to love Him the most. Corrie tenBoom once said, "Hold everything loose. It hurts when God has to pry your fingers loose."

So whether you're rich or poor, whether you've been burned out or just feel burned out, allow these California fires to teach you their lesson loud and clear. See what Jesus meant with every picture you watch. Give up the things that you're holding way too close--even though the physical flames have not come near.

Fact is, if you don't learn the lesson from afar, you may have to revisit when it's way too close. Don't treasure the wrong things. Do treasure God and the relationships He's given you.

And while you're keeping those treasures in place, He will add good things to you.