Where Treasure Lives

The voice of a woman among the community of believers is more often misunderstood or ignored completely than the voice of a man.  I'm under no illusions as to that fact.  This is not because godly men don't desire to consider a feminine view, it's just part of the repercussions of  The Fall. Godly men will deny this fact on one hand and then immediately confirm it with commentaries about a woman's unpredictability during the course of her menstrual cycle.

As women, we may believe that the only way for us to prove our reliability is to effectively crush the very things which define our femininity. Little wonder that feminism has taken this approach in recent years.  Woman? What woman?  I don't see a woman here, just a human who has a female body, but NO, she's never governed by anything but reason and logic.  But that is a catch 22 isn't it, since such a woman isn't considered feminine, womanly.

We have a unique position as women in the body of Christ.  Often, it can feel like a position of powerlessness.  This isn't true at all. The reality is that we have tremendous influence, but rarely, if ever, direct influence and that may explain why we have the impression of powerlessness.

Mary, the mother of Jesus must have felt this very strongly.  As a Jewish woman in her time, she would have been relegated to the status of property,service and second class citizen by, not just her husband, but the community as a whole.  Within that brand of societal pressure, she was asked by God himself to bear and raise, together with Joseph, the Child who would change the world.

Perhaps it is important to consider that framework as we view Mary's response to the birth of her very precious Son.

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

Today's 1st World woman might be inclined to post it on Facebook, write a blog entry, invite the media or perhaps author a book. At the very least, she'd want to host a party. But Mary simply gathered up all the bits and pieces that God himself offered her and started a treasure box inside the confines of her heart where they would be safe from harm.

What does it mean to treasure and ponder? We can't know for certain, but as I've considered Mary's actions (it is said that she does this several times throughout the narratives) I've sought to learn how to treasure the things the Lord shows me.  The idea puts me in mind of another decidedly Jewish practice, that of placing stones of remembrance. Samuel does this in 1 Samuel 7:12 as a way to remind the people of God's faithfulness.

Each time the Lord opens our ears to hear His voice whisper truths, let us ponder those words and then set them alongside our other treasures as Mary did. Surely, there will be many times in the future when we'll have a need to go through our stored treasure as we watch our world crumbling around us.  I envision Mary doing just that as she watched her Son on the Cross.  The truths that she had pondered and stored all those years ago must have served to give her strength when she needed it most.

I'm hoping that the treasure I've stored will serve to influence you by the power of the Spirit of God. I'm opening up my treasure box today and sharing with you the jewel which I seem to have the most of.  This gem sparkles and shines and reminds me of who I really am in times when I begin to doubt.  This is the gem which whispers steadily and repeatedly 'I love you darling.'.  It's a phrase my Jesus frequently speaks to me and today I was reminded that He does this on purpose so I will store it carefully in my hearts treasure box.  I hope you too will store this truth in yours.