šš«š¤ Christās peace be with you. A couple times in Lukeās 2nd chapter, he talks with us about Mother Mary and how she treasured up the moments/memories of her journey with her son, Jesus. Luke 2:8-20 speaks of the shepherds and how the angel of the Lord appeared to them and guided them to the Holy Family at Jesusā birth. Could you imagine people from here, there, and everywhere, called by the Lord, just to get a glimpse of Christ. I imagine that until the moment they saw Him, they didnāt know why they were doing what they were doing. Concerning that moment, Luke writes in verse 19, āBut Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.ā
Then again in verse 51 Luke tells us āā¦But His mother treasured all these things in her heart.ā Although this time it was in reference to when Jesus was 12. They were making their way home to Nazareth from Jerusalem after the Festival of the Passover. They were traveling in a big family group and it took them a day to realize Jesus wasnāt actually with the group. Verse 46 goes on to tell us āAfter three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.ā
Sometimes I find myself not wanting to be in the middle of an event, but kind of on the outside where I can see and hear all that is going on. Taking in the moments to treasure and ponder them. Back in May, my three girls informed me that for Motherās Day they were taking me on a weekend trip to a surprise destination. As the weeks rolled by, they each took turns giving me a clue as to the plans for our special weekend together. Then two weeks before our trip, I was given an itinerary. It told me what time I needed to arrive at my daughterās house, some basic information on times we were going to eat, go on a hike, do a paint night event, and just hang out. But, there were a lot of blank lines on that itinerary and I still didnāt know where we were going. I was driving and taking directions from my navigator in the backseat. I would guess we were about 2/3rds of the way to our destination before I knew for sure where we were actually going.
It was a pretty lowkey weekend, just taking in each otherās presence. At one point Saturday we tried to figure out when the last time was that the four of us spent time together with just us four. You see, my oldest daughter lives about 7 Ā½ hours away, my middle daughter is an hour away, and my youngest is 3 Ā½ hours away. All in different states. We werenāt able to pinpoint a date, but we figured it was maybe a little over 13 years since we four were together, just the four of us. As parents, yes, itās our God given job to raise our children in His ways to prepare them for adulthood and to make their own way in the world with Him at their side. This is our job, but yet I would have to say itās one of the greatest pleasures of my life. I will certainly treasure and ponder this incredible time spent with my little women. Looking back, if on that day I had known that was going to be the last time the four of us would spend time together alone for 13 years, I certainly would have tried to make it a greater, more memorable time. Looking forward, I will try harder to live more deeply in the present moment, leaving the work and worry for itās due time. My prayer for you is that you will be able to do the same. Donāt let those moments pass you by.
Bless others and be blessed.
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#NeonFeather ā The Long Way Home
Third Day Devotions 