Pondering Them in Her Heart

"But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."

Luke 2:19 & 51

I always thought this verse a little strange. What on earth does it mean that "Mary pondered these things in her heart?" Then I became a mother. There are things that have happened in my children's lives that are so precious to me that I purpose to remember forever: the first time I held each one in my arms; the first time Fletcher responded to my voice; the way Sophie kisses me when she wakes up from her naps. These are memories that I don't need a camera or baby book entry to remember. They are treasured deep inside my heart.

The truth that Jesus is fully God is imperative for the message of the Gospel. If He was not fully God, He wouldn't have been a perfect sacrifice. But just as important to the Gospel is the truth that Jesus was fully man. If He was not fully man, He would not have been able to die in the place of man.

 I believe that this passage is one of the ways that God's Word proves the humanity of Jesus Christ. When the shepherds came to see the new baby King, they bowed and worshiped Him. 12 years later, Mary was finally reunited with her son after days of panicked searching. These are the moments that Scripture tells us Mary treasured in her heart. They were so wondrous to her that she wanted to remember them for the rest of her days. This is the response of a real, human mother, proving that Jesus Christ was a real, human son.

As amazing as it is to believe that God Himself would have a mother, what is more amazing is that He chose it. He chose to place himself under the care of not only a mother, but a sinful one at that. This sinful mother would have not always parented perfectly. She would have gotten impatient, angry, and done things out of selfishness. Yet even with this imperfect mother, Christ remained perfect. Because He Himself always obeyed, He was able to fulfill the law of obedience in our place. For those of us who have disobedient children or have ever disobeyed our own parents, we should be overjoyed at the grace of our Savior! He was willing to live and die for disobedience, making a way to be adopted as sons by a loving Heavenly Father.

I also have mommy moments when I can't even remember if I brushed my teeth, but that is for an entirely different blog post!

The Pauper's Gingerbread House

If you love to do projects with your kids but the Christmas season has left you with only (in the words of George Bailey) "a mama dollar and a papa dollar," don't despair. It is still possible to make crafts and memories together!

Here is what you'll need to make an adorable and budget-friendly "gingerbread" house:
~ an empty carton of milk, juice, or whatever you're about to throw away
~ frosting (you could also use glue, but that's not quite as tasty)
~ graham crackers
~ some left-over Halloween candy or surplus Christmas goodies

Cover the carton with frosting and place graham crackers on top. Using more frosting, cover the house with as many delicious treats as you can. While decorating, don't be afraid to sample some of the frosting or candy, but be careful...your children will want to take this step to the extreme! Enjoy!

Weeping with Those Who Weep

Today we have witnessed a horrible tragedy. A tragedy so inconceivable that our nation has been shaken to the core. You will be hard pressed to find a mommy or daddy that has not hugged their children a little tighter or told them "I love you" a lot more.

 I have spent much of my day weeping over the slain and their grieving families. I am reminded again of the brevity of life and the reality of sin. Yet even among this unspeakable evil, our hope can be found in the cross. The reality of sin brings glory to the cross because it reminds us of our need for a Savior. We need someone who will rescue us from this despair, devastation, and fear. That rescuer can be found only in Jesus Christ, the one Who is greater than all heinous acts of wickedness. 

For the precious families who have lost loved ones, the weeks ahead will be long and dark. God wants us to weep with and fervently pray for them. And through it all we can know with confidence that God is still in control. He alone can use the events of December 14, 2012 to draw people to Himself for His glory.

"The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry.

The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34:15-18

If you are looking for a godly perspective on this tragedy or are struggling to find answers, I highly recommend Al Mohler's "The Briefing".

Hope for Christmas

Christmas has been called "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," and indeed it is. However, sometimes it feels like the holiday should be called "The Most Stressful Time of the Year!" We want our kids to be completely happy with their gifts. We want to host the perfect Christmas party. We want that fudge recipe (the bane of our existence) to finally turn out this year. For many others, it can be a season of  empty bank accounts or a painful reminder of loved ones whom they have lost. If this describes you, I pray that these truths of Scripture will encourage your heart:

To you who are overwhelmed, Christ was born to be your peace (Ephesians 2:13-15).
To you who are lonely, Christ was born to be your friend (John 15:12-15).
To you who are living in despair, Christ was born to be your hope (Romans 15:12).
To you who are fearful, Christ was born to care for all your needs and secure your eternity (Luke 12:29-34).
To you who are going through trials, Christ was born to be your comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
To you who are discontent, Christ was born to be your satisfaction (John 6:35).
To you who are weary, Christ was born to be your strength (Philippians 4:12-13).
To you who are depressed, Christ was born to be your joy (Luke 2:9-10).
To you who are drowning in guilt over sin, Christ was born to be your Savior (Luke 19:9-10).

 If we depend on the presents, decorations, cookies, and parties to make the season bright, we will be sadly disappointed. Christmas is wonderful because it is a time to remember Jesus Christ. A time to be amazed that God became man, dwelt among us, and fulfilled the law in our place, making Him the only One who could rescue us from our sin. There is no greater reason to celebrate than that.

Decking the Halls

One thing I love most about the Christmas season is all of the beautiful decorations. It is so much fun to turn my home into what I like to call "a magical, Christmas wonderland." In the past 2 years since Fletcher has been born, I have chosen to decorate during his nap time. This year I decided to do the bulk of the decorating while both Fletcher and Sophie were awake and full of energy.

The Christmas music in the background was drowned out by Sophie blowing raspberries as she played at our feet. The stockings could not be hung until they were first put on Fletcher's feet and strewn around the living room. Every ornament had to be touched. Every decoration had to be investigated. The giggling was as abundant as the twinkling lights. In short, we had a blast.

Did the decorating take twice as long as usual? Yes. 

Was it ten times more fun and memorable? Absolutely. 

Will I do it this way for every Christmas to come? You bet.

Potty Training Gone Wild

Potty training has been somewhat of an adventure as it is very uncharted territory for me. Since the day we started, I have been waiting for the inevitable: that moment when the trainee becomes confident of his abilities before he is actually ready. Yesterday, that moment came.

After church on Sunday morning, I had been keeping a close watch on Fletcher. All of a sudden, he vanished. I looked everywhere from the auditorium to my husband's office. Soon a member of our church walked up to me with a sheepish grin on his face. "Fletcher is walking around the church with his pants off," he said. As you can imagine, I quickly roamed the church in search of my pant-less son. "Please let him still have his diaper on," I prayed.

I looked up, and there, waddling in penguin-like fashion, was my sweet little boy with both pants and diaper clinging to his ankles. Yes. My son was streaking through church.

I couldn't help but laugh at both the situation and the proud smile that shone on his face. I whisked him away into the bathroom while instructing him on the importance of modesty. "Mommy! I went potty!" Fletcher said with a laugh. "Where did you go potty?" was my wary reply. He led me to the nursery, and sure enough, he had taken care of his need. His only problem was what to do when he was finished. Hence, the streaking.

I have a feeling that he will have a hard time living that escapade down with the church family that were witnesses. Poor buddy.