Yesterday, we traveled to Roanoke to visit Elijah's Great-Grandma. We are so incredibly blessed that he has a great-grandma, and that she is lucid and able-bodied. It makes me wonder what Mary's mother felt towards baby Jesus. A grandparent's pride most often runs deep- how much more so for the Son of God! Did she feel she could offer Mary advice, or was she intimidated? Or perhaps she held back at first, but later on- if the "novelty" of having Jesus as a grandson wore off- maybe she felt more able to speak up. I don't know. But I think lately, as I have struggled to feel a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, I am going to think more on these things; Jesus' life, how his parents felt towards Him, what life may have been like while He was growing up and teaching for those around Him. But all of this is getting off-track. Back to your regularly scheduled blog-post! ;-)
As we were on our way to Roanoke yesterday, I noticed among the many trees the dozens, even hundreds, of birds' nests. Obviously, most of them are there throughout the year. And it's certainly easy enough to see a bird or fifty on a summer's day while outside. Sometimes we even come across a bird's nest in our own yard. Particularly in the eyes of a child, it is a treasure to behold. It is very much a treasure, just as the blessings we receive everyday from God are treasures of infinite wealth. These blessings are present everyday, in all sorts of places and situations. However, they often go unnoticed. They are there- sometimes literally right in front of our face- but we don't see them. I think much of the time, we aren't meant to see them- they are to be revealed in the presence of God Himself in heaven. But I also think that plenty are to be seen, if only we would truly, deeply look. We may look with our eyes, yet still not see. Maybe we need to retrain our minds, or better yet, our hearts, to see things more clearly. To see them the way God wishes for us to see them, if only we would try a bit harder.
But sometimes we see these treasures when things are laid bare, as are the trees in the winter. When life seems bare or hopeless, a treasure from God is revealed; to keep hope within sight, to remind us that not all is lost, and that blessings are everywhere, sometimes in the strangest of places. And maybe they are seen best and clearest in the "winters" of life, when little else is visible.
