Pondering
By Peggy Kleckner
“….and
all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary
treasured up all these things and
pondered them in her heart. The
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard
and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
Luke
2:18-20
Motherhood…what
a job! It brings to mind babies, cooking, dishes, carpooling, homework wars,
constant motion and little rest. But here at the beginning of Mary’s motherhood
role, we find her treasuring and pondering. Not just that, but she was doing it
“in her heart,” that deep-seated place of our true self.
I
love the two concepts God chose here: “treasured” and “pondered.” Just sit with
those words for a moment. What happens
when we “treasure” something? What happens when we “ponder” something? I may
see my child every day, but if I stop to “treasure” him, what changes? What
happens when I linger to “ponder” on his growth and change, or my own?
Concerning
each of her children, how much time do you think your own mother spent in doing
these two things, treasuring and pondering their life-circumstances from the
time of conception to the present? If
you are a mom, how often have you found yourself treasuring or pondering
specific moments and happenings?
Life
seems fast-paced, hectic, ongoing. We rush. We fuss. We do. How much do we
“treasure” and “ponder”? How much time
do we spend in the secret recesses of our hearts? What moments, what “things,”
do we take there to ponder on?
Since
God chose to mention this in Scripture, might He be confirming this practice?
Shouldn’t there be time set aside in the rush to step aside in wonder at life?
Shouldn’t we ponder the workings of His mighty hand in our lives, and in the
lives of our children?
Stop
the motion today, if only for a moment, to practice the art of treasuring and
pondering…
GOING DEEPER:
1. Consider where in your week you might make
the time to “stop” and engage in some treasuring and pondering of your own.
2. If you’re
able, how about asking your own mom what she has treasured and pondered about
your life, as well as her own?
FURTHER READING:
Peggy is a wife and
mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active
encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield. She serves as the Coordinator of
Fresh Start.
