But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
Luke 2:19
Do you ever have those moments? They are the moments that take your breath away; the moments when heaven and earth collide for the briefest of instances and in their wake a tiny window opens into which we can glimpse the perfect peace that eternity will bring for believers.
Sometimes these are life’s special moments; some of the best we ever experience here on earth. They are the moments we are sitting around a table celebrating with friends and family, and you glance around and everyone is smiling and relaxed. The moments that come filled with a transcendent peace.
They are the everyday moments—the sunlight streaming through the clouds and touching the earth for the first time that day—a mundane occurrence, but an inimitable one. It is a moment unto itself and then in a blink it is over. They are the moments when though nothing really happened, you feel like everything has happened; the moment was filled with more weight than a moment should be able to hold.
It is moments like these sprinkled into the everyday that make up life. They are, when it comes right down to it, the moments that define life. It is these little moments cumulative, that give shape and depth to our lives. It is these little fleeting moments that are the ones that stay with us our whole lives. The way your spouse looked at you as you came down the aisle. They moment you first lay eyes on your child after birth. The way the light caresses a loved one’s face and makes their eyes sparkle. These are the moments we will remember for eternity. They are the moments that we will remember in heaven; the perfect moments here on earth that give us a glimpse of what is yet to come on the other side of this mortal veil.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, had these moments too. When the shepherds came to the stable and told of what they had witnessed—a sky full of angels declaring the news the Christ had come—she had a moment. The Bible says, she treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19 NIV) They were the moments that made it all seem real. Who was she to bring the Son of God into the world through her body? Yet it all happened as the angel said it would and here was tangible proof.
Then later in that same passage the Bible says it again . . . when Mary and Joseph had accidentally lost Jesus at the temple and then found Him, they asked Him what He had been doing? They had been looking everywhere for Him! And Jesus replies, “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my father’s house?” (Luke 2:49) Mary and Joseph didn’t really understand, but again, Mary knew this was a moment and she treasured it away in her heart also.
What moments come to mind for you? Has there been any lately? It is so easy to get caught up in the rush of life, but it is these little, tiny moments that make life vibrant and full of color. Each of these moments, I believe, is a special gift from God, so let’s not miss them. Let’s try to slow down, even if just a little, to catch these little moments, to be like Mary and treasure and ponder them in our hearts, and file them away to remember for all of eternity.