Mary and me had a baby on Christmas!!!
To ponder, ’ means to weigh things out…and we tend to use that verb to denote thinking rather than speaking….
Basically, I think it’s safe to say Mary was speechless when she “pondered these things in her heart after the birth of Jesus.” (Luke 2:19).
Being a new mother on Christmas day is familiar to me….my son was born on Christmas day….every memory of that day is clear….Best DAY of my life. It was Christmas ..…family out of town, friends w/ their kids/families, even my mother was w/ my other children. It was just me and Dennis and our almost ten lb perfect baby boy. He was born at midnight and Dennis went to sleep. I stayed awake all night long and held him. I was speechless.
I know why Mary was pondering rather than celebrating like the shepherds. You know what I mean mothers. Nothing feels more like love, than the flesh of the child that grew inside of you for 9 months. Your heart is immediately smitten and stolen by this living, breathing being and your life changes forever! It’s no longer about you but about them. You can’t be happy, unless they are happy.
Oh, if our heart were to change that way when we met Jesus. That is what is suppose to happen you know; a heart change.
Mary didn’t just ponder, she pondered in her heart. This love was a heart issue. One of the greatest ‘heart’ moments on earth! The Bible says that “God is love”.
Have you ever thought about this? Jesus, God’s son sent down from heaven, a perfect place, to earth…full of hate, sin, pain, death….but God choose to send him first to the arms of a loving mother….his descent from heaven cushioned by the closest thing to heaven’s love on this earth…..just proof that God is love…and his ways are oh so mysterious…..
Heart issues happen when relationship happens. Heart issues make you estastic with joy. Heart issues hurt. Heart issues make you crazy!
Why did I parallel the relationship of Mary and Jesus?
Because the heart of God’s love is so defined and exemplified in this relationship.
I ask you tonight to ponder or ‘weigh out’ this Jesus thing?
Is your relationship w/ Jesus a heart issue, or not? If it’s not, it should be. He longs for it to be. He longs for you to want to make him happy, even more than yourself.
