Treasures for the Heart

“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they 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.”

Luke 2:15-20

When the shepherds came and relayed to Mary and Joseph what they had seen, that must have been an amazing encouragement to them.  Notice that Mary “treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart”.  As a matter of fact, their testimony caused everyone who heard it to “wonder”.  These humble men, without means or reputation, merely shared what they had seen and heard from God, and that affected everyone who listened. 

Do you have some special things you have seen God do in your life?  Things that you are treasuring in your heart?  I am so prone to forget the amazing ways God has spoken to me through his word, the many prayers he has answered, the encouragement he has given me in some very dark seasons of my life.  Writing down these things is so helpful to look back and see what God has done.  Meeting regularly with others is so helpful because they can remind us of things we have prayed for and point out when that payer is answered.  It’s so important to have these anchors to our faith ready to look back on when hard times come and we need to remember God’s love, his promises, his faithfulness, and his goodness.

A day would come when Mary would have to face immeasurable sorrow and agony in her heart, the day she would have to watch her son die on the cross.  No doubt that the many trials leading up to the crucifixion would have been agonizing as well, as Mary watched her son rejected and ridiculed over and over again.  Surely people would have had some snide remarks for her, judgmental comments casting doubt on her faith in what the angel had told her in the beginning of her pregnancy.  She must have had questions and insecurities watching her son, God’s son, the Messiah, grow up before her very eyes.  He must have stood out from the rest and done some very unexpected things.  How did Mary hold onto her faith through those impossible times?  All of those things she had treasured in her heart over the years surely served as an anchor for her soul through all of it.  All of the pain, the suffering, the doubts, the questions, the uncertainty, in all of it, Mary could look back to those moments she had seen God’s mighty hand in clear, undeniable ways. 

Today is a great day to start your list, start writing down all of the marvelous things you have seen God done.  Your favorite scriptures, answers to prayer, a kind word on a bad day.  Storms will come, trials are promised to us, but God has also promised that he will never leave us or forsake us.  1 Peter 3:15 tells us “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”.  The person you may need to remind the most about the hope within you may be yourself day.  Today is the day to start storing up treasures.