The Call to Be Ponderers
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19, NIV.
"Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?" But [Mary and Joseph] did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. Verses 49-51, NIV.
Pondering! That's what mothers do best. Well, it may not be what they do best, but it does seem to be what they do all the time. They are wired differently than men. The typical father might be concerned about his children from time to time, especially when they are having a difficult time or have taken a wrong turn. But a mother's concern has a constancy that bewilders most males.
Mothers are ponderers. My mother was. She kept a little book for each of her four children. In it she placed the first lock of hair sheared from my head, noted the dates when I began to crawl and then walk, kept a record of my growth in terms of height and weight, and wrote out verbatim my first words and my memorable sayings.
Mary was like that. She kept a notebook in her heart. And what a notebook it must have been. On the positive side, she had an angel announcing to her that she would give birth as a virgin and that her child would be the Son of God and the Messiah. Then there were the angel-inspired shepherds praising God for His birth and mission. And, of course, she could not forget the Magi from the East who followed a star that wasn't a star and also came and worshipped the newborn as the king of Israel. Such occurrences would have led any mother to ponder.
But then there was the downside, the shadowy aspect, of His early years that would send shudders into any mother's heart. Not only did His birth lead to Herod's massacre of the babies of Bethlehem that they had barely escaped by fleeing to Egypt, but there was also that mixed message of Simeon, who recognized Jesus as the Savior, while also noting that He would be like a sword that would pierce Mary's soul.
And now this boy was disclaiming Joseph and telling His mother that His Father was God. And yet He was their Child. He lived in their home and ate their food like any other youngster. It is little wonder that Mary pondered all these things and hid them in her heart.
We need to do the same thing. Every day we must turn our eyes upon Jesus and ponder the meaning of His life and death for us as individuals. Today and every day we need to meditate upon Him and his significance. In short, God wants us all to be ponderers.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19, NIV.
"Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?" But [Mary and Joseph] did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. Verses 49-51, NIV.
Pondering! That's what mothers do best. Well, it may not be what they do best, but it does seem to be what they do all the time. They are wired differently than men. The typical father might be concerned about his children from time to time, especially when they are having a difficult time or have taken a wrong turn. But a mother's concern has a constancy that bewilders most males.
Mothers are ponderers. My mother was. She kept a little book for each of her four children. In it she placed the first lock of hair sheared from my head, noted the dates when I began to crawl and then walk, kept a record of my growth in terms of height and weight, and wrote out verbatim my first words and my memorable sayings.
Mary was like that. She kept a notebook in her heart. And what a notebook it must have been. On the positive side, she had an angel announcing to her that she would give birth as a virgin and that her child would be the Son of God and the Messiah. Then there were the angel-inspired shepherds praising God for His birth and mission. And, of course, she could not forget the Magi from the East who followed a star that wasn't a star and also came and worshipped the newborn as the king of Israel. Such occurrences would have led any mother to ponder.
But then there was the downside, the shadowy aspect, of His early years that would send shudders into any mother's heart. Not only did His birth lead to Herod's massacre of the babies of Bethlehem that they had barely escaped by fleeing to Egypt, but there was also that mixed message of Simeon, who recognized Jesus as the Savior, while also noting that He would be like a sword that would pierce Mary's soul.
And now this boy was disclaiming Joseph and telling His mother that His Father was God. And yet He was their Child. He lived in their home and ate their food like any other youngster. It is little wonder that Mary pondered all these things and hid them in her heart.
We need to do the same thing. Every day we must turn our eyes upon Jesus and ponder the meaning of His life and death for us as individuals. Today and every day we need to meditate upon Him and his significance. In short, God wants us all to be ponderers.
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