Once my daughter and nieces claimed their favorites of my mother’s rings, the dark green satin-and-velvet-lined jewelry boxes that sat on Mama’s dresser for decades held only valued memories and a collection of inexpensive pieces.
When I study the contents of the jewelry boxes, I recall bits of Mama’s well-lived life and evidence of the values she held dear. You can tell a lot about a person by the things they keep.
Among bracelets, necklaces, and earbobs (as she called them), I found my brother’s Scout medals and my 4-H pin, as well as a lapel pin I made in second grade from a wooden ice cream spoon and sequins.
Mama saved pins from her Pilot Club days and from the PTA offices she held. Sunday school attendance badges and a pin that reads “Jesus in the Reason for the Season” rest in the bottom section.
Faith, family, and community service filled her heart and her calendar.
The piece of her jewelry I appreciate the most reminds me that Mama’s heart was also filled with truths from God’s Word which she’d held dear since her early teen days. The tiny gold cross on a dainty chain that my dad gave to her on their wedding day bears the engraving “EJC to SMC 5-13-51.”
As her jewelry box indicates and my memory affirms, my mother valued biblical truth more than expensive jewels. She would agree with the psalmist who said to God,
The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Psalms 119:72
God’s Word is a precious gift to His children. Let’s consider the value we place on Bible study as we read what the psalmist believed.
Thoughts from Psalm 119
Consider this familiar one:
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path .
Psalm 119:105
As we search for answers in troubled times, a fresh look at this verse reminds us that God uses His truths to help us navigate uncharted waters when they swirl around us.
Have you wondered lately how to respond, what to say, or whom to trust? When we search for answers, God often provides them as we study His Word. When we search for answers, God often provides them as we study His Word. Click To Tweet
Let’s picture the verse another way: Imagine walking in an unfamiliar backyard void of light except for the flashlight you hold.
As you proceed onto each steppingstone, the flashlight shines on your feet to keep you steady. When you move forward, the beam illuminates the next steppingstone to prevent you from wandering off into the darkness.
We need not fear the next step even in darkness.
The more we study, the more light our heavenly Father sheds on our path as He continues to transform us to be more like Jesus.
We can assess the value we place on Scripture as we read the psalmist’s views in Psalm 119:
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Verse 97
You are my portion, Lord; I have promised to obey your words.
Verse 57
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Verse 11
As we engage in Bible study this week, let’s ask God to use His Word mightily in our hearts, to endear it to us, and to guide us to fall in love more deeply with the One who led the psalmist to write these prayers:
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.
Verse 18
Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
Verse 34
As we store God’s words in our hearts, He transforms them into sparkling jewels that change our lives.
Three-Part “Storing Treasures” Series
This post is part one of a three-part series about treasuring God’s Word. In the next two posts we’ll consider how specific portions of Scripture meet our needs, then we’ll share ideas for memorizing Scripture.
Please tell us in the comment section how God’s Word has ministered to your heart lately.
Verses are taken from the NIV.
Jeannie, this is a gem (pun intended). Thank you for pointing us, once again, to God’s treasures.
Lisa, I love your pun. His treasures are precious, aren’t they? Thanks so much for taking time to read.
What a priceless post! “You learn a lot about someone by the things they keep” will resonate with me for a long time.
Marilyn, I appreciate your comment. That thought came to me as I wrote, but it’s interesting to consider, isn’t it. May we keep God’s words hidden in our hearts so that we live in ways that please Him. Thank you.
Your mom was one in a trillion. Thank you for sharing her with us.
Love this so much!
She’s fun to write about. I’m thankful you two knew each other, sweet friend.
Jeannie,
I have that same jewelry box in light blue. It was a gift from my mother. I need to pull it down from the closet shelf and review its contents. Your words and God’s scripture spoke to me . I need to ask myself what holds value to me.
Deanna, I think we all need to ask that question. That’s so interesting you have the same jewelry box in light blue. I saw some vintage jewelry boxes almost identical to Mama’s on Etsy. Thank you so much for commenting and encouraging me.
Thanks, Jeannie! I love this! It makes me want to examine all of my own jewelry, to see what legacy I might leave. But it also makes me want to examine more deeply all the jewels in God’s Word, and I know that was your intention. Mission accomplished!
Glenda, the Psalm 119 verses made me want to dive deeper into God’s Word, too. God’s truths were indispensable to that writer. May it be so for us. Thank you so much for commenting.
I love this so much Jeannie. This is so timely for me. I have been humming one of my favorite hymns this week….Open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou hast for me…. This is something I need to be reminded of from time to time.
Oh, Connie. That’s so precious that you’ve been humming the same words God led me to for this post and to use as a personal prayer as I study. Your comments mean more than you know! Thanks so much.
This is so beautiful, Jeannie! Sparkles like the jewels in your mama’s jewelry box. Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement to read God’s word and store it in our hearts. Love you.
All I can say is, “I can’t wait to meet your Mama in heaven.” I fall in love with her more with every mention you make of her. More important, I love the Jesus that shone through her life. Thanks for sharing her with us.
Lori, how sweet. She’d love you. I tend to write about her a lot, but she had more impact on my life than anyone. There is much from her life that reminds me of biblical truth. Thank you bunches!
Sandy, your kind words mean a lot to me—so encouraging! I’m hoping to store more of God’s Word in my heart. Love you!
The scripture you share is beautiful and inspiring, Jeannie. I love Psalm 119–it is so rich in wisdom and guidance. So much to choose from here, but vs 11 reminds us that we take God’s Word with us at all times–we “hide His Word in our heart”. Isn’t it comforting to know that God grants us that precious gift and He is with us every step of our journey? I’m looking forward to your next message in this series.
I agree, Katherine. He provides for our needs, including comforting words in Scripture. What a joy to know, as you said, “He is with us every step of our journey.” Thanks so much for reading.
This was wonderful to read. Just these past few months, I’ve gone back through my mama’s jewelry and gave to my granddaughter. It’s been 24 years she went to heaven this Saturday, but still fresh in my heart. With God’s word that you brought to mind, it meant so much. Just think of the jewels we will see when we step into heaven.
Thanks for your devotions!
Lynn, you have no idea how your comments encourage me. Thank you for continuing to read and respond. I love that you, too, were looking through your mother’s jewelry. Maybe she called earrings earbobs, too. 😉
I have to tell you—yes, my mama called them earbobs! Lol
I thought some readers might be familiar with that term. 😉
What a special post about your Mom’s jewelry box and what she treasured the most–God’s Word! The Psalms always minister to me in ways that I need at just the right time, with encouragement, insights, reminders, admonitions, and definitely God’s enduring love for me, His child!
Kathy, I turn to Psalms often for the same reasons you do. Reading them does assure us of His love as you mentioned. I’m thankful you enjoyed the post and commented. Appreciate you.
Thank you for sharing treasures from your mom’s life and from Psalm 119 with us!
Thank you for reading, June. Psalm 119 is filled with treasure, isn’t it?
Oh Jeannie, this was a priceless post. I just loved the way you spoke of true treasure through your mom’s jewelry box. Your mom and mine have surely met by now! Thanks so much.
I hope they have, Sylvia. The treasures we keep are interesting, aren’t they? God’s words stay well in our hearts.
I love the truths that God’s Word is the treasures we can own today and carry with us into eternity. I pray we come to love the Writer of those laws more and more every day.
I’m glad you mentioned that, Joanna. His Word does lead us to fall in love with Him more, Thank you for reading.
It’s wonderful what those treasures of our mama’s can tell us. A reflection of the life they lived and the legacy they leave behind. As we look into God’s treasure chest, we see the legacy He left for us. Those treasures will never fade but keep building gems in our lives.
Yes, Barbara. Our heavenly Father offers a rich legacy, doesn’t he? Thanks so much for reading and sharing.