Mary Keep All Dis Tins for Her Heart

For outside, voices, footsteps and people wey dey talk with excitement. For inside, one young mother sit down quietly, her baby dey sleep for her chest. She no dey talk. She dey remember.

Na di night wey dem born Jesus, inside one house for Bethlehem wey full well well. Mary don born far from home and she don put her son inside manger. Then, for middle of di night, shepherds rush enter, dem dey breathe hard, dem carry one story wey dey shock person, about angels for di sky. Now dis shepherds don go back to di streets, dey tell everybody wetin dem see. And di people of Bethlehem dey wonder. But Luke turn di camera comot from di crowd, bring am back to one person. Mary.

Luke write say: but Mary keep all dis tins, and she dey think about dem for her heart. Dat small word but get weight. Everybody else dey talk. Mary dey keep. Di word wey Luke use mean to guard, to hold something carefully, like treasure. And to ponder mean say she dey turn tins for her mind, dey put di pieces side by side, dey try see how dem take join together. She no confuse, and she no dey doubt. She dey think deep, like how person go hold one precious stone up for light and slowly turn am to see every side.

And think how many tins Mary get to think about. Di angel Gabriel for Nazareth, wey tell her say she go born son wey go rule for David throne forever. Elizabeth cry of blessing, and di baby inside Elizabeth womb wey jump for joy. Joseph dream, and im quiet decision to stand with her. Di long road go south. Di house wey full, di manger. And now shepherds, wey dey talk say angels call her baby Saviour, Christ di Lord. Plenty pieces. And for di centre of all of dem, di small one wey dey breathe softly for her hand.

Mary no get all di answers dat night. She never know wetin go happen for di years wey dey come. She go watch her son grow, teach, heal, suffer, and rise again. But she start by doing one tin wey simple well well and wey get wisdom. She treasure wetin God talk and wetin God do. She keep am safe. She dey come back to am again and again. And e be like say she remember am well, because plenty details of dis night don reach us. Some people don wonder whether Luke hear some parts of dis story from people wey close to Mary herself.

Luke words dey echo one older story. For Genesis, when young Joseph tell im family about im strange dreams, im brothers dey jealous, but im papa Jacob keep di matter for im mind. And Luke use almost di same words for Mary again later, after dem find Jesus for di temple when e be twelve years old. Im mother, Luke talk, keep all dis words for her heart. Mary na person wey dey remember.

You go find dis one quiet verse for Luke chapter two, verse nineteen. For Christmas wey dey noisy and busy, Mary show us another way: to stop, to treasure, and to think deep. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin God don talk or do wey you want treasure and think about dis Christmas?