Gold Rush!

While visiting California, we stayed with friends who took us to see the location of Sutter's Mill.  This is where gold was first discovered in 1848, that led to the gold rush of 1849.  We visited a museum at the site, where they have recreated the actual mill, and learned about all the excitement.  John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant, had partnered with a carpenter named James Marshall to build the saw mill on the American River upstream of Sacramento.  Sutter was building a large settlement in the Sacramento area and needed a lot of wood for buildings and fortifications.  In January of 1848 James Marshall spotted gold in the water near the mill when he was inspecting it.  At first the search for gold was kept very local and the men who operated the mill lost interest in cutting wood when they could get rich searching for gold.  But once the word reached the streets of San Francisco and then was publicized in the press thousands of men and a few women hit the trails from all over America, as well as Mexico, China and the rest of the world to come pan for gold in California.  A few became very rich, but most barely survived.  Many hoped to earn enough from the sale of gold to return to their homes.  It occurred to me that if only people could grasp the treasure that is available in Jesus Christ they would leave everything to come for Him, just as the thousands did in hope of finding gold.  As it turns out, finding God is much more certain than finding gold.  All the miners and searchers for riches from 1848 and 1849 have gone on to the eternal dimension.  Some of them found gold and some did not.  But when we have found the truth of the reality of God through His Son Jesus Christ we can stake a claim that is held for eternity in Heaven!