Treasure

As the school year is coming to a close I can't help but start to get a little sentimental.  I looked at my little tribe today and thought about where we started at the beginning of the year.  I thought of how much growth they have made and the trials that they have overcome.  This year definitely wasn't perfect—we had our fair share of struggles—but there was still so much life and growth that we experienced together. 

As I felt compelled to soak it all up—my kids' personalities, giftedness, senses of humor, and little hearts—I was reminded of Jesus' mother, Mary.  The Lord opened my eyes to Mary's reaction when the angel came to the shepherds and told them that the Savior, Christ the Lord, was born that day and would be lying in a manger.  Scripture tells us in Luke 2:16-20:

"And they (the shepherds) went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.  And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.  But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."

It is unimaginable what it would be like to be the mother of Jesus.  To see the Savior grow from a babe to an adult.  Your Savior.  But she was faithful to treasure up all of the signs and wonders that God sent to her, and to ponder them within her very being.  

It is very clear in scripture that it is not always easy on this earth to follow Jesus.  That we need to daily take up our cross and follow Him—being His mother definitely didn't make the pain an easier burden to bear.  Praise the Lord that He is faithful to give us the strength to do it!  A little later in Luke 2 we are told in verses 33-35:

"And his father and mother marveled at what was said about him (Jesus).  And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.'"

Mary faced a life of rejection—of being an outcast.  There were still a lot of people that thought of her as a liar when it came to the conception of Jesus.  They thought she was either crazy for believing that she carried the Son of God or a con-artist—one that was unwilling to face the reality of her own sin.  Not to mention the immense pain she would face from watching Jesus go through the unbelievable suffering that He bore at His crucifixion.  The sword pierced through her soul also.  What an amazing woman to study.

As I looked at my first grade babes I just felt God telling me to learn from Mary.  To soak in all of the joys, the growth, to treasure it and store it up in my heart.  

It goes on in Luke to teach about when Jesus was twelve and His parents couldn't find Him among their group for three days.  They found Him teaching in the temple.

"And he said to them, 'Why were you looking for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?'  And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.  And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.  And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart."  Luke 2:49-51

And they did not understand.  Mary had the faith to not understand, but to trust.  To rest in the little wonders that were being revealed to her.  To treasure them up—to strengthen her heart for what was to come.  She witnessed and observed and didn't always understand what God was doing—but she always treasured. 

When I think of storing things up I think of dusty storage units and shoving the junk wherever it will fit (which is telling of my own personal organizational skills).  It wasn't just that Mary was storing these ideas or these memories for later—she was treasuring.  She saw these moments—even moments that she didn't understand—as precious gems to keep.  To value.  

I want to look out at passing moments and take in precious gems.  To keep what He is doing every day, and to ponder it in my heart.  To have a bank of priceless treasures to wonder at, even on the hardest days.  When I don't yet understand the majesty of the moment I want to treasure it.  I want to have a heart after Jesus, and I think that looks like Mary's heart.  She loved Him.  I mean, she loved Him.  She loved him in a way that is unimaginable.  To be His earthly mother and to know Him as her personal Savior.  I think that is an intimacy with Jesus to be desired.  

I feel the Lord tugging at me these last few weeks of school to be Mary.  To let myself wonder at what He has done this past school year and what He is continuing to do.  Because, guys, what He has done is miraculous.  I am in awe of the ways that He has moved and the things that He has done.  

He is so worthy of our praise—and what a good, good Father to give us this bank of countless precious gems and treasures that take up residence in our hearts.  No one can take away these heavenly treasures that He is keeping in His own children's hearts.  And that's what He is doing, storing amazing, miraculous, powerful heavenly truths within us.  Not because He needs to or we deserve it, but because He rejoices in His children.  He wants to share His awesome gifts with us.

Thank you, Lord.

"For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; 

he adorns the humble with salvation.

Let the godly exult in glory;

let them sing for joy on their beds." Psalm 149:4-5