day 8 - pondering

We're off! We began with Thanksgiving and praise. The laughter and rest have faded, the food is gone, the music is playing and the greens have been hung. Purpose has been established and we are settled solidly into the Season. Now we are wondering how to fit it all in--the parties, the endless Dirty Santa games, the shopping, the baking, the cleaning, the juggling...

STOP IT!

That's where it all breaks down.

That's where we lose our focus.

That's how a Holy Day becomes a Holiday.

Do you really want this time to be different?  Do you really want to reflect the joy of His coming this Season?

Consider what Mary did.

She received news of the impending birth, she made the journey to Bethlehem, she gave birth, then the busyness started. The care of the new baby, adjusting to a new home and life away from her family, no help from the female clan who had sheltered her, the shepherds and all the visitors coming...I would imagine she could have easily been overwhelmed.

But Luke says that she took in all of the newness and "pondered." She reflected. She brought it all into her heart and sorted through it in stillness and quiet. Oh, she may have been washing or cooking or changing the swaddling clothes, but she was still and quiet in her spirit. She was focused.

That's the secret. Pondering. Asking the hard questions. Why do we do this? What does He want from me? How can I celebrate Him fully for His birthday? Who can I introduce to Him? Does He really have first place in my day, my mind, my actions, my life?

Pondering.

Stillness of spirit.

"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."

~Luke 2:19