The familiar Christmas carol tells us that during the holiday season, we can “let our hearts be light” because “from now on our troubles will be out of sight.”
WHY IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO HAVE “A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS”
And in that spirit, I also want to give you a gentle reminder that you have less than one month (four short weeks) until Christmas day! How quickly does that take you from pondering to panicking? 😉
Many of you just started mentally reviewing your “to do” list, right? I am guilty too. But I want to stop surviving and start thriving this year. Don’t you?
So, I am asking you to join me in taking some time to slow down before we start the “hustle and bustle” of the season. As we begin this week, let’s think about why we may be struggling to “let our hearts be light.”
Have you ever paused to ponder the lyrics of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? Let’s take a look below. Go ahead and sing out loud…I won’t judge!
While I appreciate the thoughts and sentiments, it seems to be one of the most challenging times of the year to lighten my heart and forget all my troubles. And I wonder: why?
SOME FEELINGS WE MAY STRUGGLE WITH AT CHRISTMAS
Advent, or the beginning of the Christmas season, should bring a spirit of anticipation, expectation, and longing. But many of us experience just the opposite: anxiety, stress, and disappointment.
- Instead of expectation, we have hesitation.
- Instead of anticipation, we have anxiety.
- Instead of preparation, we have procrastination.
- And instead of longing, we have fear.
Somewhere, deep in my soul, I want things to be different. Each year, I seem to stray farther from the simple and profound joys of the season. By giving in to the crazy busyness of “making merry,” I have lost the stripped-down serenity of Christmas–and all it was intended to be. Maybe you have too.
DID MARY STRUGGLE AT THE FIRST CHRISTMAS?
I went back to the very first Christmas and read and reread the familiar biblical stories to concentrate on a particular woman: Mary. I wondered what we could learn from her and how we could make our celebrations of Christmas different based on her example.
And do know what struck me the most about her and what she did? It was not her humility, courage, or strength. It was not her song of worship or her willingness to submit to God’s plan for her life. Although awe-inspiring and worthy of praise, it was not any of these things that caught my attention.
It was Mary’s ability to ponder. To stop and reflect. To open her eyes and ears. To be present by noticing simple things. To remember God and be grateful. To take it all in without saying a word.
Sounds like a pretty good start to having light hearts and fewer troubles, doesn’t it?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PONDER AT CHRISTMAS?
The word that we use for ponder is the root that we get the word symbol from. It means to take in the meaning, to understand what we see here, and to understand what it really means. It means to remember and it means to think what now?
There is not much room to ponder in this world, is there? There is not much headspace to allow us to stop and think. Too much noise for silence. We exclaim that we long for a day when we have nothing to do, nowhere to go, nothing expected of us so we could just sit down and think.
Then when finally get a chance to do it…and we are a little intimated to be left alone with just our thoughts. Instead, we hurriedly make plans to go shopping, call a friend, wrap some gifts, turn on some music, or watch some Netflix…right?
Think about it:
When is the last time you really sat and pondered?
For me, one of the gifts of writing this post was the personal invitation God gave me to ponder.
The invitation to consider who I am and whose I am.
So today, I want you to sit back, forget everything on your Christmas “to do” list, and learn with me what it means to PONDER.
WHY MARY CHOSE TO PONDER AT CHRISTMAS
Let’s look closely at what the Bible shows us about how Mary pondered. I am using a few different Bible translations to get the fullest picture of what it looks like to ponder.
Luke 2:19 (ESV)
But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.
Luke 2:19 (The Message)
HOW MARY PONDERED AT CHRISTMAS
but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
Luke 2:19 (NLT)
Pondering was a willful, deliberate choice on Mary’s part. She could have done something else, but instead, she chose to ponder.
And the timing is important to note as well. Remember (if you return the story of Jesus’s birth in Luke 2), it was after the shepherd’s arrival that Mary pondered.
Remember how they came in bursting with joy and great news? Talking about angels singing the sky?
She didn’t ask questions, she didn’t jump up and down, she didn’t join in spreading the news of Jesus’ birth…she pondered.
I think this pondering and treasuring was a very personal and private thing for Mary. The Bible makes no mention of her telling others of her thoughts, hopes, and dreams for Jesus.
She kept and treasured everything in a mental “baby book” of sorts. And this special recording of the events of Jesus’ arrival was for her alone.
What can we learn from this wise woman of faith?
How can we apply this kind of pondering and treasuring to our lives today?
Let us think deeply and mindfully about these words:
- Ponder
- Treasure
- Keep
- Meditate
- Think
- Dwell
There is an inwardness associated with all of these verbs.
- A sacred silence.
- A safe stronghold.
- A secret stillness.
HOW MARY TEACHES US TO PONDER INSTEAD OF STRUGGLE AT CHRISTMAS
One of the most important lessons we can learn from Mary is that pondering does not equal passivity.
Mary was not a passive bystander but rather an active participant. And what allowed her to engage fully and intentionally was her ability and discipline to ponder.
- She was fully present.
- She was an active participant.
- She was intentionally purposeful.
And it is not just how she pondered, but, more importantly, who she pondered. JESUS! Mary teaches us to ponder three things this Christmas:
PONDER THE PRESENCE OF JESUS THIS CHRISTMAS
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (ESV)
PONDER THE PROVISION OF JESUS THIS CHRISTMAS
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 (ESV)
Isaiah 61:1-2 (NLT)
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,
Isaiah 61:1-2 (NLT)
for the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
PONDER THE PEACE OF JESUS THIS CHRISTMAS
For to us a child is born,
Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27 (ESV)
PRESS PAUSE TO PONDER AT CHRISTMAS: FREE BOOKMARK
As a special Advent gift to you, I created a bookmark to help you remember to press pause and ponder this Christmas. Feel free to download, print, and share!
OVERCOMING THE STRUGGLE AT CHRISTMAS WITH PONDERING
LEARN HOW TO HAVE A “MARY” LITTLE CHRISTMAS
My prayer is that by taking a closer look at this special woman’s role in the Christmas story, we can look forward to a very different holiday season this year. I took my personal time of study and reflection and turned it into an Advent devotional.
I hope that you will use this four-week devotional to return to the biblical account of the first Christmas and learn from a woman whose faithfulness and humility teach us how to prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for the season by pondering instead of struggling.
HAVE YOURSELF A MARY LITTLE CHRISTMAS includes weekly readings, reflective questions, and practical action steps for the whole family–plus a resource guide of books, movies, and music to help make your celebration meaningful! Click on the image or title above to go to my SHOP page and learn how you can get your copy as the Advent season begins. Available in both a printed book and downloadable PDF (e-book).
Give up struggling this holiday season and learn to ponder like Mary! HAVE YOURSELF A MARY LITTLE CHRISTMAS!
This looks fantastic! Sometimes it’s harder than we want to admit, and struggling to let your heart be light in the midst of ‘stuff’ is a real battle. Mary is someone I need to spend more time with, for sure!!
Thank you, Aryn! Yes, I think we can learn so much from Mary about what it means to ponder and focus on Jesus…the reason for the season. I hope this devotional will help others do just that!