Treasures in my heart

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


In reading the Christmas story in Luke 2, I have always been drawn to the above passage. The fact that in the midst of the miracle of God becoming flesh, Mary took a moment to just take it all in, amazing me. In the midst of the miracle, Mary took a moment to just be a mom. There were several times when my husband and I were trying to become parents that I wondered if I was ever going to experience the pondering of the thoughts and experiences of a new mom. Then once I became pregnant with my daughter I finally realized the sweet moments that you do treasure. The first heartbeat, the first movement, the first kick and the first hiccup.



At a mere 28 weeks pregnant I had some major complications with my pregnancy that caused me to put on bedrest at the hospital. In those tense and scary moments of monitors and medicine, I treasured each heartbeat I heard, and every moment that was given to me with my daughter. After nine days in the hospital, the complications were finally settled down and I was allowed to go home...it just happened to be Christmas day, 2008! Over 2000 years before the biggest, most amazing miracle occurred, GOd became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ! In 2008 God did another miracle in allowing me to be in my home for Christmas and for my child to still be growing and thriving in my tummy.



As I sat in front of our Christmas tree that Christmas day, I treaured the fact that God had been gracious and my daughter was still thriving and growing inside of my. Then 5 days later in the early morning of December 30th, my husband rushed me to the hospital and that visit resulted in my precious, miracle daughter being born, when I was just 30 weeks pregnant! The next eight weeks my daughter fought for her life, and over and over again God showed up in a miraculous way in my daughter's life, in my life and in my family's life. In every God moment I had, I treasured them into my heart. Eight weeks after my daughter's early arrival, she was able to come home and enjoy her baby cradle for the first time.


Fast forward two years! Yesterday on Christmas day, instead of being rolled out of the hospital with a baby inside me, I was able to celebrate Christmas 2010, with my precious miracle daughter, my husband, parents, brother, sister in love, niece and nephew, and many extended family members. I was able to testify about God's goodness, faithfulness and love that He had poured onto our family. Again yesterday, I pondered the many joys that God had given to me the last few years. I say joy and not happiness, because joy is that deep, everlasting love and enduring faith that God showed to me and confirmed to me in my heart the last few years. I accepted God into my life when I was just eight years old, with a child like faith. Now at almost 34 years old I have a faith in God that is real and has been fleshed out in both joyous and very saddening times! I love God not because of what He does or doesn't do in my life, but because of WHO HE IS!!