Advent Devotion (Day 17) - Treasuring and Pondering

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. – Luke 2:19

She pondered them in her heart. She was silent, she remembered. She took the facts, she took her thoughts, doubts, fears and hopes and brought them all before the Lord, allowing Him to speak to her heart. She questioned, she gained understanding, she prayed, she asked for peace.

Each of us can take a lesson from Mary, treasuring up and pondering in our hearts all that Christmas means, all that Jesus Christ means, all that salvation through Him and eternity in Heaven means.

"To do this well, though, we must make space for pondering in our hearts. We must not be so busy, or self- absorbed, or materially-committed, or emotionally deadened, or insensitive to the larger world around us that we don’t ponder in our hearts the extraordinary gift of life that we’ve been given and how to live it fully with meaning and purpose.

This is true for those of us who are children and young adults, parents and grandparents. This is a busy era of cell phones and text messaging, of Facebook, of doing school and sports and extracurricular activities, of parenting, jobs and friends that leave little time for contemplation and self-reflection.

Where and when can one ponder in one’s heart anymore as a student, or working 60-80 hours a week and then playing hard during the few waking hours left? Maybe one can ponder in one’s heart out walking or running alone, unless one’s only hearing the I-pod in one’s ears. Maybe one can ponder in one’s heart during a long shower or when writing in one’s journal. Maybe one can ponder in one’s heart by taking formal time for meditation or prayer – even only 20 minutes a day – early in the morning or late at night."  Dean Scotty McLennan

But in order to follow Mary's example, to really treasure and ponder truth, we must set aside some quiet time to do it. It may be tough but committing to that time alone with our own thoughts and the Lord has eternal rewards. And, just like Mary, it will equip us for the joys and trials ahead.