A parable was told of a prosperous man who was making a long journey. In his bag he packed all of his valuable jewels and money. A thief began following the wealthy man, pretending to be a friend, and waiting for the opportunity to steal his riches. The rich man was aware of the man’s motives and thought of a plan.

Each night as he would stop at a local hotel he would invite the thief to share the room. Once inside the rich man would say, “Here is a towel. You go and wash up for the night.” While the thief took his shower the rich man hid his treasures.

When the thief returned to the room, the rich man would go bathe. While away, the thief searched frantically for the riches. He looked in the rich man’s luggage, searched the closet, drawers, under the bed, between the mattresses, and under the rich man’s pillow. The treasure could not be found. At the end of the journey, the rich man boarded a train to go home. He called out to the thief, “I know why you have been following me. You’ve been trying to steal my treasures. Each night you have looked in my bags, searched the closet, and rummaged through the drawers. You’ve looked under my bed, between the mattresses, and even under my pillow. The one place you never looked was under your own pillow. The treasure was closer than you thought!”

The reality is that many live their entire lives without ever discovering their purpose or figuring out who they really are. They have been just existing without living. Life happens to them instead of them happening to life.

On the other hand, those that are living wake up every day knowing that they have purpose and meaning in life. Daily they strive towards perfecting who they are. The fact remains, every person who walks the face of this earth has purpose and meaning, but sadly, some never realize their significance.

To determine where our treasure lies we must add up everything we possess that cannot be stolen or destroyed by death, disease, life’s circumstances, and people. You know you’re closer to your treasure when you feel compelled to act on a daily basis. Many of our treasures have been covered with years of not knowing who we are; therefore, we must continue to dig through all of the rubbish and dirt that has been piled upon us.

Today offers us another opportunity to unlock the treasure and greatness that is inside of us. Don’t stop digging. When we stop digging, we give up on our greatness. Even if others around you surrender and stop digging, we must keep our foot to the plow. For who knows, today just might be the day that you discover the hidden treasure inside of you.