Devotional for Friday, December 13th
Today's Bible Reading: Luke 2:15-20
Last week, I told you that my favorite Bible verses are the opening sentences of Luke's gospel. In those four verses, Luke assures us that he has investigated Jesus' life thoroughly. Those verses stir my intellect. But there is another sentence in Luke that I consider to be the most beautiful verse in the Bible. This one stirs my spirit.
This verse contains a piece of information that only Mary would have known. Imagine Luke sitting down to interview her. He is asking questions about the night Jesus was born. She tells him about the rough journey to Bethlehem with Joseph. She describes how time was running short, and she had to give birth in a barn. She remembers a group of shepherds appearing out of nowhere to worship Jesus. These grown men are calling her helpless baby "Savior."
Then Mary closes her eyes and pauses. Luke is about to move on to his next question when Mary whispers something with a smile. And Luke writes this down:
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19, NIV)
In the middle of all the chaos and exhaustion, Mary took the time to contemplate what had just happened.
When I come across a Bible verse that hits me between the eyes, I like to see how different versions translate it. It helps me see it from different angles. Here's how the NIrV puts it:
But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over.
When I read that translation, a question entered my mind. What do I think about over and over?
The days go by so fast, and I usually don't even stop to reflect on them. When I do, I mostly think about all the negative things about my day. All the things I've left undone. All the ways I've failed. Things I said that I shouldn't have said.
I completely miss all the ways God has moved in my life that day. The simple joy of sitting down with a friend at Panera and eating a bagel. The kindness of a stranger. Getting to do work that I love doing, even when it gets hard. Just being alive. God shows us grace in a thousand small ways each day.
Mary did not understand everything God was doing. But she took the time to think about how he was moving in her life. And she made a lifelong habit out of it. Do you know how I know? She told Luke again!
When Jesus was twelve, Mary and Joseph had a little "parenting fail." They lost him at the temple and finally found him hanging out with the teachers. They are worried, but after things settle down, Luke writes:
But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:51)
I want to be like Mary and treasure the ways I see God moving.
Questions to Ponder:
Do you take time to reflect on the events of the day? What things do you tend to focus on?
As you go through your day today, be on the lookout for all the ways God shows you grace.
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