Pondering Like Mary

Written for Christmas of 2023

So many times we hear the Christmas songs and stories, and read about them in the Bible, but do we really stop and think about them?

Ponder.

The act of thinking deeply about something, especially for a noticeable amount of time.

Mary pondered.

A scared newlywed - who didn't even know her husband in the physical sense of being married- traveling, great with child, a wearying distance.

Turned away at the inn; perhaps as her early labor pains started. A kind hearted inn keeper, offering her what little he had.

The dirt of a stable.

Animals, dung, and a hard floor.

Missing the comfort of her home and her mother, she labored alone, with cows mooing and animals shifting in their stalls nearby.

What a measly kingdom this King was born into! His mother kissed his brow and wrapped him in swaddling cloths provided for her- maybe the innkeeper had a kind wife who saw a need and filled it.

As she laid her head down on her straw bed to rest, visitors started appearing.

They told of multitudes of angels proclaiming "Glory to God in the Highest!" and how they knew they had to come see the newborn King.

There, amid the dirt and the grime and the chaos of delivering in a stable, Mary watched the unfolding of the story foretold for decades and pondered. She tucked away all the events and the memories and the moments and put them away in a safe place- in her heart.

Amid the grime, she found joy. She found peace, and happiness, and she pondered on those things.

She forgot the pain of childbirth and the fear of the unknown and she basked in the joy of carrying Jesus, of being his mother and being chosen by God to fulfill prophecy.

In one instant, she went from scared girl to peaceful mom.

This Christmas, you too can ponder.

Amid the chaos of life, and the weariness of sickness, or pain, or fear of the unknown, you too can find joy.

Joy in the kisses of your children.

Comfort in the simple things- cuddling under a blanket. Watching a movie.

Peace in providing simple gifts for your kids to unwrap- Christmas isn't about the number of gifts, or how much money you spend. It's about providing what you can, and being happy with that.

Joy in knowing that for now, there is food on your table and a warm house to live in.

When you think and ponder on these things, you'll find that you have so much more than Mary did on that dark night so many years ago.

There is so much joy to be had. So many memories to make. So many things to ponder.

Even amid the chaos and the dirt and the grime of life.

May all of us Mamas be like Mary, and ponder all of our blessings this Christmas.