Issue link: http://denverseminary.uberflip.com/i/420759
December 10 Luke 2:19 Treasures Heather Davediuk Gingrich, PhD Professor of Counseling O ur first grandchild, Rico, was born in June. I am head-over-heels in love! Right now Rico is living with his daddy, who is living with us, so I get to spend a lot of time with this little one. As I watch Rico grow and develop daily, I pray over him, asking God to help him become the man he was created to be. As I interact with Rico, I wonder what seeds of which gifts lie dormant within. Maybe he'll be a singer like his grandma. I hope he'll have the gentle spirit of his papa. But most of all, I pray that he will love and serve God with all of his heart. Despite many joy-filled moments, though, I must admit that I'm also worried. Rico's parents are young, their relationship is unstable, neither have any money, and his mother has three other young children to care for. I can't imagine Rico not existing, but I do wish he had been born into more ideal circumstances with better chances for a good future. When Mary gazed at the baby Jesus, she too must have wondered what would become of her infant son. From the angel's pronouncement that she would give birth to the Son of God, and her own knowledge that this baby had not been conceived in the usual fashion, Mary had to have realized that Jesus was no ordinary baby. Yet, as she fed Him, changed Him, and sang to Him, she too must have had hopes and dreams for this child, as well as fears for His safety. Luke 2:19 tells us that, after listening to the shepherds' dramatic account of angels announcing the birth of Jesus, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." How she would have needed to draw on those promises when, 33 years later, she lived a mother's worst nightmare, watching her son die in agony! As much as I want to protect Rico from any suffering or harm, the reality is that I will have limited control over what happens to him. ere is no guarantee that I will always have access to him. So I too have to remind myself of God's promises—for example, the assurance that whatever comes my or Rico's way, I can rely on God to go with me and with him, to never leave or forsake either one of us (Deut. 31:6b). Whatever your particular burden is, may this Christmas season be a reminder of God's faithfulness in all present and future circumstances. 5 True