Treasures Worth Keeping

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

One Christmas Eve as I sat in the candlelit sanctuary of the local church holding my grandson, the talk of the Christ child was bringing up new emotions and thoughts in my heart as I looked down upon the sleeping 7 month old child laying on my lap oblivious of Grandma and what was going on in her heart. Listening to the words of the Christmas carols created these new treasures to contemplate in my heart as Mary had done so long ago the night the Shepherds came to visit. The shepherds had located the Christ child and the news about his birth began to spread quickly and everyone who heard what was being said by the shepherds was amazed and this is what Mary pondered in her heart as treasures worth keeping.

For me, the news of Jesus starting out as a baby was old information but for some reason the sentiment inside my heart was different this Christmas Eve. As I looked down again at my grandson I couldn’t help but wonder what he was going to be when he grew up. Would he be a doctor, a preacher, a football player, or what, God only knows.

Unlike my grandson, Christ’s future was predetermined, mapped out from beginning to end and although Mary had no idea what that exact course of His life would entail. Truly this small babe in her arms would one day be the jewel many would be in search of, a definite treasure worth keeping.

Without a doubt the beginning of our gem collection of treasurers in Heaven starts with getting Jesus into our hearts, once we have found Him we don’t want to treat Christ like the 3-year-old boy I babysat once did his new found fortune. We were in the nursery at the church patiently waiting for mom to get out of Bible Study when he went off to play by himself, soon he came to show me the precious rock that he found, wanting to claim it as his own, while my back was turned, he shoved the rock up his nose for safe keeping. Unfortunately for him, he got it up his nose so far that neither his mother nor I could get it out and soon a trip to the emergency room had to be taken where an extensive procedure was performed to get the lodged gem out of the chamber of his nose.

Too often we have other things stored in our hearts that we are pondering over such as old feelings, new grudges, bitterness, anger, busyness, negative thoughts and so much more, things of no value yet we hold on to them as if they were gems worth keeping. All of them crowding Jesus out of our heart to the point He’s stuffed up so far back that He never gets a chance to come out to create more riches in us.

It shouldn’t take an extensive procedure to be performed in our lives in order to get Him out and on display in our lives as we seek to please Him as Psalm 19:14 states. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Jesus had said it himself, “Where your treasurer is, there will your heart be also.”

Year long, not just at the celebration of Christ’s birth we should examine and look to see where our heart is, as seen through the telescope of what we are meditating on. As the seeds planted in our lives produce everlasting fruit for others around us, showing up as treasurers worth keeping.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise you Father God for giving us such a wonder thing to place into the depths of our hearts, your son Jesus Christ. May we do our part and make room for this treasure. Thank you Lord for supplying us with a safe haven to keep our spiritual wealth safe from moths, rust and the biggest thief of all Satan himself. May we strive daily to meditate on the things that please you as we store up our own personal collection of untouchable treasurers that come from you. Amen.


© 2006 by Karen J. Gillett