MARY PONDERED: HOW TO EMBRACE THE PRACTICE OF PONDERING

The Bible tells us that Mary pondered. How can we embrace the practice of pondering not only at Christmas but every day? I want to share what God has been teaching me about what it means to ponder more and share less.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PONDER?

When I think of pondering, I think of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Twice in the Bible, it talks about Mary “pondering things in her heart.”

It happens first in Luke 2, right after she has given birth and the shepherds have come to see her, Joseph, and baby Jesus in the manger.  Sharing their fantastic story of seeing and hearing angels in the night sky, Mary takes it all in and listens thoughtfully.

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”  Luke 2:19

Luke 2:19 (ESV)

But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.”

Luke 2:19 (NLT)

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.”

Luke 2:19 (The Message)

These different Bible translations of the same verse give us a fuller picture of what it means to ponder.

The second instance of Mary pondering is also recorded inLuke’ss gospel. This is the story where Jesus is “lost” after his family visits the temple during their annual trip to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. After three days of frantically searching for Jesus, Mary and Joseph finally find him in the temple. When Mary questions Jesus about his actions, he casually replies that he needed to be in his “Father’s house””

And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”

Luke 2:51b (ESV)

And his mother stored all these things in her heart.”

Luke 2:51b (NLT)

His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself.”

Luke 2:51b (The Message)

The dictionary definitions for ponder and treasure are useful in understanding Mary’s frame of mind.

Ponder: to consider something deeply and thoroughly; to weigh carefully; to think or reflect.

Treasure: to collect and store something valuable for future use; to hold or keep precious; to retain carefully in the mind; to cherish.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT PONDERING

Understanding the original language of the Bible can also help discern what it means to ponder. The Greek words Luke chooses are powerful.

What we read as “treasure” is the Greek word suntereo.

It means “to preserve (a thing from perishing or being lost)” or “to keep within one’s self, keep in mind (a thing, lest it be forgotten)”

And where we read,” “pondered,” the Greek is sumballo.

This means “to throw together, to bring together, to converse, to bring together in one’s mind, confer with one’s self””

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, fears, and dreams concerning Jesus.  In her soul, she was working this out (what the angel, Elizabeth, the shepherds, the Holy Spirit, and many others told her about Jesus).

She kept and treasured everything in a mental” “baby book” of sorts. And this special recording of the events of Jesus’ life, his words, and his actions were for her alone.

WHAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF PONDERING?

Contrast this with the public display of all of our deepest thoughts, concerns, opinions, dreams, and private moments.

Here is a list of antonyms that is quite revealing:

• Ignore.
• Neglect.
• Disregard.
• Forget.
• Overlook.
• Forsake.
• Destroy.
• Squander.

I am not sure which areas of your life you need to ponder and treasure more, but I know I have some.

Whether good news or bad, happy or sad, my default reaction is usually not to ponder, think, or dwell.  I want to share, tell, ask, discuss, call, text, post, tweet…even scream and shout sometimes.

Mary was a strong and disciplined woman to keep these things to herself!

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM MARY’S PONDERING

How can we apply this 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.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO PONDER MORE

The Lord is showing me what I need to do:

• More pondering, less public sharing.
• More treasuring, less telling.
• More keeping, less giving away.
• More meditating, less speaking my mind.
• More thinking, less talking.
• More dwelling, less disregarding.

I want to be fully present and aware of both the powerful and precious moments in my life and in the lives of those whom I love.

I want first to ponder and treasure BEFORE I share or tell.

I want to keep and safeguard some things just for myself.

I am thankful that I can learn from a faithful, obedient servant of God who lived over 2,000 years ago.

PRESS PAUSE TO PONDER HIS PRESENCE

As a special gift for you, I created an acrostic for the word PONDER. I hope this helps you remember how Mary pondered and embrace pondering at Christmas and every day of the year! Feel free to download, print, or share.

THIS IS A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN PONDER

I hope the resources in this post help you embrace the practice of pondering as Mary did. I desire that here AT THE CROSSROADS, you have the time, space, and inspiration to ponder the grace and truth of God deeply.

And if you are new here, I would love to have you as a fellow traveler…we can ponder together! Sign up by filling out the form below, and you will receive weekly blog posts, monthly newsletters, free faith resources, and more!

If this post spoke to you in any way, would you mind leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, or even letting a friend know? My heart is to reach as many people as possible with the hope, love, and peace that pondering His presence can bring!