Take This to Heart

Luke 2:19

Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart.

There are rare moments in life when God reveals his Glory in our lives. His Glory is the weight of his presence. Sometimes the people who experience his Glory are the ones who share it with those of us who are waiting on it. You can be carrying something and not even see his Glory because what you are carrying is so close to you that you can’t see God in it. When people confirm God’s gift in you treasure what they share because you will need it later.

Mary carried the greatest gift ever…Jesus. There were seasons where Mary saw the Glory of God and seasons where she was just Mary. How do you go from being, “Highly favored” to just plain old Mary? How do you go from being praised by a group of strangers to being persecuted by family and friends? How do you go from being serenaded by angels to being homeless in route to Egypt? You have to treasure the Glory moments to make it through your human moments.

Life is filled with Glory moments when you are high on life, God is showing you favor, people are speaking and confirming God’s hand on you. Then there are seasons where nobody is saying anything. You are struggling financially. People are hyper-critical of your life. You are wondering if God is still with you. That’s where you have to go to your treasure box and pull out what you put away. Where your treasure is, is where your heart is.

When the shepherds and Jesus spoke to Mary in verse 19 and 51 she kept these things within herself, weighing and pondering. God will send people to speak in your life and instead of dismissing it with false humility or emotional discontent we should receive it and put it in our hearts to weigh and ponder for later.

Weight it. Does it equal what God already told you? Do you feel the validity based upon your own experience with who God is? Do you feel the weight of God’s presence in what they are sharing? If you do hold onto it, you’ll need it later. Mary would need it when she was going through difficult seasons.

■ When she had to flee to Egypt with her newborn son.
■ When she couldn’t find Jesus in the caravan and had to go find him in the temple
■ When Jesus started his ministry and drifted away from the family. She thought he had lost his mind.
■ When he was arrested on trumped up charges.
■ When they tortured him all night.
■ When they nailed him to the cross.

When he was crucified a ‘sword’ pierced her heart but the treasure came out. She was reminded of what everybody had spoken earlier. It didn’t make the suffering go away but it helped her to make it through to the resurrection.

Remember what God spoke to you through others in your hard seasons and keep them in your heart, you will need them later.

Dear God,

Thank you for speaking to my heart. Thank you for the gifts you’ve given me to carry. I will reflect on the words you have spoken over me through others and allow those words to get me through difficult seasons. Your word will not come back void; it will accomplish what it was sent out to do.

In Jesus name,

Amen