What Little Treasures From Your Children are You Keeping?

Children offer us little treasures almost daily, a picture, a kind word and sometimes a holy experience.  Mary, the mother of Jesus comes to mind when these holy moments happen to me.  Luke says that after the angel sang and shepherds admired the baby Jesus, that Mary, instead of being frustrated at all the intrusions at the birth of her first son,

“treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Mary did not have a scrapbook or a youtube channel to record her baby boy’s first moments.  Instead, she experienced angels, shepherds, aged prayer warriors (Anna and Simon) and crazy kings who foretold the fate of her child.

Mary placed these little treasures about her son in the only personal space she had, her heart.

My son, my sweet youngest son provided me with a little treasure today.  Sitting in my lap early this morning as I read aloud Luke chapter 12 out of a red letter Bible.

A little frustrated that Elijah was up already and disturbing my personal writing time. I started to reread Luke, chapter 12 with him. Luke 12 is a powerful chapter with multiple themes.  I also noticed for the first time, maybe because of the red lettering, that this was mainly Jesus speaking uninterrupted except by Peter.

The Luke chapter 12 opens with how much God, our creator knows about His creation and wants to interact with it.

The chapter is a balance of assurance of how much God loves and takes great interest in our lives.

Our value, Jesus says, is more than the birds of the air and the grass of the field, which is here today and gone tomorrow.  That if God cares for the earth so tenderly why do we as human’s waste time worrying about our lives instead of seeking God first.

The final segment of the chapter is devoted to being ready when the master of the house returns to claim his own and to reward those servants that were watching and waiting for his return.  The servant who has heard and is not ready will suffer the consequences of the unbeliever and be sent away.

While the servant who has waited watchfully will be made “ruler over all he (the master) has.”

 Harsh words after so clear a proclamation of love and desire to care for humankind.

I read the whole chapter to my son without out comment or commentary.  Something we do quite often together.

 Laying in my arms my son looked up at me and said, “I do not want to be like that,” Pause, “What do I need to do?”

My frustration of the morning vanished and gratefulness flooded my heart.

The Holy Spirit was speaking loud and clear.  I had not picked up my computer to write this early morning for this reason.

God slowed me down and brought me to Him so I could offer the gift of Jesus’ salvation message to my child.  I got to bare witness to my child answering the most profound question of his life.  Who will I serve?

Joy flooded me as I lead him though a simple prayer to ask Jesus into his life.

Struck by the simplicity of the pray and the ease with which my child at this moment accepted Jesus into his heart, my mind sang praises to God for hinting at me all morning.

“We are not done yet.  Sit with me and be quiet a bit longer” the Holy Spirit keep prompting after my normal pray hour ended.

Elijah and I  sat and hugged and thanked Jesus for his promise to be in constant relationship with us and to love us and forgive us no matter what. I welcomed him into the family of Christ and so did his brother who had been baptized just a year earlier.

Is he going to be baptized this year? my other son asked.

“No,” I answered, “but we can start the preparation for it next year.”

 

Choosing who you will serve and the public profession of faith is the serious business.  At this date, I think there are three top questions in each person’s life that affect their whole lives.  What are the three top questions in your life? Find mine in this blog.

After I dropped the boys off for school I pondered why we did not celebrate the acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior with more fanfare.  Right then and there I decided that this is going to be a big deal tonight.  A moment for the family to rejoice that we will all remain together throughout eternity.

Fanfare made sense, Jesus entered the world to great fanfare in the heavenly kingdom.  My son, who is now a brother with Jesus, needs a celebration in honor of his rebirth as a new creation in Christ.  I think Mary would agree.  I think she would smile and hug my boy as she did her own beloved Son that first night.

What from your children are you keeping? Would love to hear about your moments big and small in the comments below! Do you have a mama journal to record all the things you are treasuring in your heart.?

Want a happy life? Answer these three questions.