I've owned my fair share of parenting books. As a matter of fact, I had no idea how many I had until I took them off the shelf to take this picture. I was in shock. Then I laughed hysterically. With all this "help", you'd think I had this parenting gig figured out pretty well by now. Ha!
So maybe it's because I have an apparently insatiable appetite for parenting knowledge. Maybe I'm looking for a comprehensible treatise on the particulars of mothering well. Maybe I just don't want to screw up my kids. But I'm excited to read this book because it's not just another parenting book. Mothering like Mary is not just another way for me to fail helplessly as a parent. Mary was real - she struggled with the same struggles we face today. God equipped her for the task - as he does for us too!
I loved the paragraph in the intro that begins So why would we care to mother like Mary? ... Her hope was built on faith: that in Jesus, her life was sponged clean of sin and guilt, and her death would lead to a heavenly home. That's where I want my hope to be too, and what I want my kids to learn.
When we open our Bibles and let God's word direct us, then we have grabbed hold of Mary's treasure. Yes! As it says in Deuteronomy 6:5-9, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads, write them on the doorframe of your houses and on your gates." This is how I desire to parent.
Prologue:
First off, I just want to mention how I appreciate how the author begins this section as she does in the following chapters - with poetry. It's a lovely way to summarize each section and I think she does a beautiful job!
400 years is an awfully long time! I can't say I blame Zechariah's doubting heart. I can relate to it too much. Who am I to point fingers? The paragraph that begins There is a message here for both life-long believers ... It's all very well that you have destroyed sin, death and the devil and won for me forgiveness and eternal life ... but ... Ouch. That hits close to home! How reassuring are God's promises to us! And God always keeps his promises!
This is a truth I share with my children. My daughter and I were just reading The Promise of Isaac Bible story and I asked her, "Why can we trust God to keep all of His promises?" She responded, "Because He always keeps His promises and what He says is true." Amen, dear daughter!
And we pray:
Dear Lord, We ask your blessing on our study of Mary and the Treasure that she held on to. Help us to hold on to that Treasure as well - especially in these busy and hectic days leading up to Christmas. Keep our focus on You! Give us wisdom as we study your Word. Help us teach our children your truths. Sanctify us by your truth; Your word is truth! Amen
4 comments:
I so appreciate Sarah's words and your thoughts, as well, Rachel. One additional thought concerns the authors invite to remember what we were like as female teenagers. Even at my age (grandmother) I can still vividly remember and identify with all she described and feelings easily resurfaced as I did so - feelings of insecurity, emotional highs and lows, searching out who I was and who I should be, etc. But I also remembered how I had memorized passages from Gods Word, how I was blessed with faithful, Christian parents, blessed with faith and trust in Jesus through the Holy Spirit. Just like Mary, it is Gods grace alone that chose me to be His. WOW! What a blessed way to start this study!
There is so much to comment on I need to try and contain myself - ha!
Thank you for hosting this study as it is just what I am needing right now.
Great thoughts, Mom! No need to contain yourself - keep 'em coming! So glad to have you a part of this:)
Thank you for organizing this book club opportunity, Rachel!
There are so many points to highlight just in the introduction and prologue of the book. You and "Mommy Su" mentioned some great ones.
One of the paragraphs in the prologue really captured the Advent mood I'd like to cultivate in myself: "You can almost hear the synapses firing in Zechariah's brain. Could it be... after a millennia of waiting... that the promised Messiah was just around the corner?!" I want to have that kind of excitement for Christmas - as if the first Christmas were just weeks away. I want to be excited about Emmanuel instead of being frazzled about frivolities. Knowing that Jesus' second coming could be any minute now, I want my remembrance of his first coming to spur me on toward eager anticipation of his glorious return.
Well said, RfC! Your thoughts reminded me of the study of Revelation last year at this time. I'm loving how these studies seem to build on each other and fit together beautifully!
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