Pondering

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

I have spent much of the year pondering treasured up things.  I think that's common when someone you love passes on into eternity.  My dad wasn't much of a talker so I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about what he held dear and what he regretted in his life.  I know there were places he wanted to see that he never saw and that was a huge source of guilt for me when he died.  But what other things did he treasure up?

I think about Mary as she raised the child, Jesus, the savior of the world.  On the days when it was really hard to be a mom, when she wasn't really sure about the angel's announcement of Jesus' identity, would she think back to the events of that first Christmas for comfort and assurance?  When Jesus had a rough day, would she tell him the story of the shepherds and the gifts the Magi had brought him and how they foretold a greater plan that was birthed in God's own heart?

In the last few months, several things have happened in the lives of my children that I have treasured up and I want to be able to share them so that I can ponder them forever in my heart.

Bethany was sick the last week of school.  One night, she had a high fever; she was bundled up and shivering in her bed and I went down the hall to get her some medicine.  As I came back to her room, I heard her voice.  Like an angel, she was singing "Silent Night" in German; it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard and it went straight to my heart. 

Caylah has spent much of the year telling me what a wonderful country one of her classmates is from.  The food is wonderful, the scenery is gorgeous, the people wear beautiful clothes and this little girl is the luckiest person in the world because her country is so special.  We went to the UN bizarre this Christmas season and visited this country's booth where Caylah oohed and awed over everything on display.  As we were leaving the booth, she said, "Mom, I love Persia!  It is in my heart."  I almost cried as I thought about my little girl loving Iran like that, and it is something that I will need to remember as she grows and follows the Lord's leading for her life.

Nathan has spent the last four years in a diverse faith culture that has challenged him to explore many different world views and decide for himself who or what to follow.  This fall, he shared with Joe and I that he had thought about many of the religions that his friends follow and some of them had interesting ideas at first.  But after he thought about it, he decided that Christianity was the only "religion" that made sense.  It was the only one where God came to man to meet his needs instead of man trying to find someway to reach God which is just impossible.

These things, I want to remember, to be able to share with my children when they have a rough day or a faith struggle.  And I want to remember them on days when I am having a rough time being a mom or being away from my family. Days like today.