Ponder

Ponder

Did you ever ponder?

Ever since I read the story of the birth of Jesus, the word “ponder” has fascinated me.

“Mary pondered all these things in her heart.”

This is what the Bible says Mary did during the time of the birth of Jesus.

When you think about what the phrase “all these things” refers to, it’s no wonder she pondered.

Picture it this way:
Here’s a teenage girl who just had a baby in the back of a stall in a barn, with some confusion as to just who the father is. Her husband is carrying on about taxes, and the fact that the guy who runs this part of the country has decided to endorse infanticide. And if that’s not enough to think about, there is all this traffic of visiting wise guys, sheep ranchers, and angels who keep dropping by with questions, statements, and singing. To top it off, the animals she is cooped up with talk. Have you met many cows that speak Hebrew? All of this would certainly give someone something to think about. I think “ponder” is the perfect word for what Mary did.

Do you ever “ponder?”

I do.

Job “pondered” a lot I bet as he sat upon his ash heap.

How about Jonah, sitting in the steamy, dark, wet whale belly awash in gastric juices and half-digested squid.

I really bet those guys did some pondering.

“Pondering” is ingrained into my psyche. I do it everyday. Sometimes to the point of frustration, and sometimes the proverbial light actually comes on.

Do ut des
"I give, that you may give"

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