Eight weeks ago I started a new hobby with my boys. We purchased a Fisher F2 Metal detector and started treasure hunting. It has been a great fun to search with my youngest three boys (Hunter doesn’t like it) for buried treasures of all types. During our first two months of hunting we have been able to find some rings, a watch, pins, ear rings, lots of change and numerous miscellaneous items. While we have been doing our detecting I have continued to run into people and have conversations with them about this hobby. I have noticed three common lines of discussion.

1. Many, many men say they have thought about metal detecting and just never got around to it. There is not a lack of interest in this, just a lack of people willing to step out and do it.

2. Numerous people who have never even held a metal detector in their hands have a suggestion on where I should do it. People will see me detecting and their first words are often, “You know where you should take that?”

3. Almost everyone wants to know if I have found any gold or rings or anything of great value.

All three of these have made me think of my walk of faith. They have a direct parallel to my encounters in faith.

1. Many people claim to believe in God, but have never done anything with it. They live with an idea of how nice it might be to have faith and the life it brings without ever trying it themselves.

2. Everyone seems to have a suggestion on how I could live better – even total non-Christians! “If I were a Christian I would take that Church and …” Have you heard this?

3. Everyone seems to be looking for a big act of faith. They want to go on a mission trip for a week. They want to do something daring. They want to be a part of a big miracle. In reality, I have seen the Christian life as more of working though a daily grind. For example, we have found one nice silver ring metal detecting but the rest of the money we have found one coin at a time. I have literally dug over 500 pennies alone. Big finds are nice and they are exciting, but they are not what usually happens. So far, my typical day is $3-5 in change over a couple of hours. Once in a while something big pops out of the ground, but mostly metal detecting is a grind of day to day looking.

Let me be clear – I do not mean any of this in a negative way. I simply believe that a great life of faith is usually not the result of some big event, but the culmination of daily work for God.