Pondering about…Pondering

I’ve always been intrigued by the Scripture verses that refer to Mary pondering things in her heart. The main verse I’m thinking of is in Luke 2, one of the accounts of Jesus’ birth. After the shepherds came from afar to worship this baby she had just given birth to, it says in verse 19, “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” In other passages it simply says she treasured things in her heart, which likely implies that she pondered those as well. But what does it mean to ponder? I’ve been pondering that. 🙂 After reading more about this, I believe the best way to describe what Mary was doing is that she was reflecting on the meaning of what had occurred and committing it to memory so she could recall it in the future.

We need to ponder more often–specifically about what God is doing in and around us. The Bible even tells us to ponder. “All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.” (Psalm 24:9) We need to ponder our own actions. “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet.” (Proverbs 4:26) But pondering takes time, my friends. That’s the problem, isn’t it? In order to make spiritual space in our hearts and minds we need to linger in thought. Even committing things to memory sometimes takes intentional thought.

There are two times in my life when I very intentionally committed something to memory. Now, that doesn’t mean I only remember two things in my life, but these are specific times when I told my brain to remember this. And it worked. One was when I kissed my sweet husband at the end of our marriage ceremony. I wanted to remember the specifics–how I brought my hand to his face as he gently sealed the deal. The other time was holding my newborn son up on my shoulder with my cheek against his plump little sleepy face as I sat in my hospital bed. Oh man! I get teary thinking about it. These intentional memories and a myriad of others are things I’ve pondered upon. Reliving and connecting them helps remind me of God’s faithfulness and gives me hope for the future.

I read somewhere that the Greek word for “ponder” means to toss things around and compare them in order to put pieces together and arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. This sounds like a pretty healthy practice for so many reasons. Are you weary as we enter this holiday season? Are you confused about a relationship? Are you struggling with an important decision that needs to be made? Have you become a complainer or feel like everyone is against you? Take the time to ponder. Relive memories. Linger in thought. Put the pieces together. Prayerfully ask the Lord to help you to be at peace or come to necessary conclusions.

Pondering takes time and it takes practice. For me, it seems easier to ponder during this time of year. I love to sit by my sparkling Christmas tree in a dimly lit room and just remember, reflect and rejoice in all God has done and continues to do. My pondering usually flows into prayer and Bible reading. More pondering. Doing this helps me set priorities and approach my days in a more healthy way. In closing, I’m going to ask us all to ponder–REALLY PONDER–God’s greatest gift to us that is found in this one verse. Perhaps you’ve committed it to memory?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)