But Mary treasured up all these thing and pondered them in her heart

One of my favourite verses in the Christmas story is tucked away in Luke chapter 2. In verse 19 it says:

I have always fond such wonder in those verses, pondering when and why she revisited those treasured memories. 

As a church we are reading through the book of Luke for advent and on day 2 I came across a similar verse further along. It is in the only stories we read of Jesus’ childhood. It was after Mary and Jospeh had lost Jesus, only to find him at the temple teaching the teachers about his father God. In verse 51 we read:

Now I have had a tough few weeks. December as a minister is crazy busy as it is but there have been so many exciting, scary and difficult things to contend with too. On top of that we have come against a lot of enemy opposition including two flat tyres in ten days, a husband with a broken tooth and a baby with regular explosive poos!! 

The past few weeks have provide much to think on and much to worry about, and I have to admit that sometimes I have let worry, fear and anxiety over take me. 

Recently I have been thinking about thinking, and as I have these verses about Mary have been flying around my head. At first I didn’t get quite get it, until one day I considered why did she take the time to treasure those things? 

Then I started to realise….

As a young Jewish girl she would have learned a lot about the coming messiah. The scriptures talked about what her son would face, how this ‘man of sorrows’ would live up to that title. 

Mary made the concerted effort to treasure the things of Jesus. To treasure the moments, the memories and the miracles. 

I can imagine her in her grief, in those three days when he was in the grave, that she remembered the joy of the shepherds, the beauty of Jesus’ face as he sat teaching others in the temple. She may even recall treasured memories like the wedding where wine flowed, thanks to Jesus! I’m sure those memories also helped her to continue in her faith in the days after he ascended to heaven.

I wonder how those much pondered on memories would have comforted her on those days when she longed to hold him in her arms or sit at his feet.

Philippians 4:8 says

“So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.”

Philippians 4:8 TPT

This Christmas,  amidst the business, amidst the difficulty, amidst the opposition, I resolve to think about what I’m thinking about and make sure that the things that fill me mind are authentic, real, honourable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. I choose to treasure the moments, to treasure the memories, to treasure the miracles

This Christmas as God moves in each of our live I wonder what will you ponder on and treasure in your heart?