Treasures

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

About two weeks ago, I was driving through the city at night, admiring the Christmas lights on houses.  I had been thinking about how to spend the season celebrating Christ and the gifts he’s given us. Not only how to celebrate these things myself, but how to make it accessible and real to my kids as well. It struck me that night, that although the celebration was real in that moment with the lights on, there is a very real tendency to stop celebrating as soon as January 1 comes around. There is a huge build up to Christmas, the feeling of celebration carries on to New Years,  and then the January and February blues come in full force.

The verse from Luke 2:19 was brought to me at that moment. But I need to lend a bit of background to it first.

Mary and Joseph had just spent the last 9 months or so with incredible build up. There was a string of miracles that led up to birth of their son, and several miracles soon after his birth as well. An angel visits Mary. A baby is conceived in her by the holy spirit. She is not killed for being pregnant out of wedlock. Joseph is visited by an angel. Mary is still accepted as Joseph’s wife. These are the first of the miracles.

Then they are called to make the big trip to Bethlehem. Again, a string of miracles. They find a place to have the baby. The birth doesn’t have any complications. They hear the story from the shepherds of bright lights and angels. They see the Messiah with their own eyes. They are warned in a dream to leave Bethlehem and their lives are saved!

”  Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

I guess that after all of this, life settled into a mundane rhythm of sorts. Maybe it was comfortable, maybe it was unsettling. Maybe there were times that Mary wished for another profound miracle to reassure her that her son WAS the Messiah. Or maybe she had such great faith that she never doubted and only waited for his time to come to show himself. Maybe she spent time each day thinking and remembering what had happened . The bible doesn’t share with us much of what went on in Mary’s heart after the birth of Jesus, but it does give us a clue as to what to do with the miracles that we see and experience in our lives. And it is my suspicion, that if we are diligent in treasuring up and pondering what God has done in our lives, we are less likely to experience that January let down.

And so that is my first goal in this post- Christmas season. To treasure and ponder the miracles of this Christmas season.

My little miracles:

• The Jesse Tree ornaments and stories leading our hearts closer to God’s story. The questions that my daughter asked about them. I could feel God working in my heart and in hers this Christmas through this.
• Time spent together as a family. Old traditions, new traditions. Every moment was a treasure to me.
• The generosity of the people in our lives! We felt so supported and loved this Christmas, as we do throughout the year.
• The ability to give meaningful gifts.
• Christmas Eve service remembering Christs birth with the community through song and scripture (seeing my daughter standing and singing with the rest of us made my heart swell).
• Watching my kids enjoy giving to others.

I hope that as we enter into January, I can pull these memories out and use them to relight the warmth in my heart when it wants to grow cold. I am guessing that this was the practice that Mary used when she was feeling low.

May you find your miracles to warm your heart this winter as well!