Pondering And Treasuring

"But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often." Luke 2:19 NLT

Of course the Mary to which I am referring is Mary, the mother of Jesus. She knew what was going on and what people were probably saying about her. She knew that her husband was not the father of the child she was carrying. She listened to Elizabeth and the shepherds and the angels and the wise men. She heard it all and kept it all in her heart, thinking about it often. Because that's what moms do.

Over the years, my kids have told me a lot of stuff. I'm sure there's a lot of stuff they haven't told me, and that I really don't want to know. Some stuff they've told me has received an immediate response and some stuff I've taken under advisement. Sometimes my responses were well received and some weren't. Some stuff just needed to be voiced and the only response that was needed was a indication that I was listening.

But no matter what was told to me, I've always kept it close inside. Even after the conversation was closed and the speaker moved on to other things, I thought about what was said. I thought about how it affected my child and what I could say or do to make it better or work out, or even to just help my child through it. Quite often my child was completely over it and had forgotten it. But I hadn't, because I used that bit of information to make me a better mom for that child.

I think Mary spent the next 33 years listening to what Jesus said and what people said about Jesus. When he was a boy and she thought he was lost, she found him in the temple. She asked him why he was there, and did he know they had been looking for him. He replied, "Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?" Mary didn't really "get it," but she still "treasured all these things in her heart." (Luke 2:41-52)

I think that's what moms do. We try to listen and hear as much as we can, because all this information is vital to the well-being of our children. If they are hurting, we hurt with them. If they are happy, we can breathe a little easier. And no matter what we're privy to hear, it all stays within us. It stays for us to think about and treasure. It stays because there's a special place where all that information is stored - in that piece of our heart that was created the moment we were blessed with that child.

*********************************************************************************

Today is a gift because: Everley time; Goodwill drop off; getting the house picked up