Treasuring and Sharing
My daughter’s name is Staci. We chose that name because it is a derivative of Anastasia. It means “resurrection life”. And that is what she has been bringing to many people most all her life by sharing with them the resurrection life of Jesus.
And, then God surprises us with another Anastasia. My grandson, Payton, proposed to his girlfriend, Zoe Anastasia, last week. We are a happy and blessed family for God to give us this precious young woman, along with her parents who are pastors and ministers in Dallas. We have known them for over twenty years. I “treasure” God’s treasures in our lives.
Treasuring is what Mary, Jesus’ mom, did well. Luke 2:19 says “she treasured these things in her heart”. That isn’t us. Social media is our platform to broadcast about our babies, our children, and our families.
Mary shared very little about her baby, the Son of God. Dr. Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke, must have interviewed Mary about her miracle birth. She was the only surviving eyewitness of the angels, the shepherds, the star. I marvel at her quiet demeanor and ability to “treasure” these things in her heart.
We know little about keeping things to ourselves these days – with social media that keeps us aware of what’s going on in our lives. With my tell-all blogs daily, I know I’m not measuring up to Mary’s “treasuring in her heart”. Obviously, my “treasuring” is bold and in technicolor to the world.
But how can we make Jesus famous if we simply sit and treasure Him — keeping Him all to ourselves? Mary had the benefit of a host of angels and a star and we have many available ways to broadcast the GOOD NEWS of Jesus.
Oh yes, there are times to sit in His holy presence and treasure Him and adore Him and honor Him. But if we don’t get out of our comfortable places of “Silent Night. Holy Night” to “Go Tell It on the Mountain” — who will be the bearers of “Joy to the World”.
As I write this blog today, I realize God is inspiring me to be His mouthpiece. God’s plan for Mary was to treasure in her heart. But God’s plan for you and me is to help Mary make her Son famous and help people fall in love with Him as we did.
I am inspired by Mary’s quiet “treasuring-in-her-heart” ways, but in John 14:12, Jesus said “Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the one who believes in Me will also do what I’m doing. He will do even greater things than these because I’m going to the Father.”
Why then, would we NOT use every means possible like books, churches, missions’ teams, movies, television, social media, and word-of-mouth to get the word out to make Him famous?
I hope to live my life with the same willingness of Mary. What if she had said no? What if she had rejected the opportunity to be the mother of the Lord? Then she would have missed out on being a crucial part of the greatest story ever told!
Like Mary, I want to treasure each moment as Mary did, choosing to trust in God’s sovereignty. I also want to get the word out about Him, shine the spotlight on Him and help make my Lord famous. Won’t you join me?