Dec 25 - Luke 2:19

But Mary kept all these things,

pondering them in her heart.

Luke 2:19

If you could go back and relive any moment in your life, what would it be?

I’ve heard that the number one moment that many women would like to relive is that first moment when their first child was laid in their arms.

Christmas was Mary’s first, cherished, and eternally ponderable moment.

Christmas for Mary was angelic visitations, after nine months of uncertainty and a strange mix of shame and hope as this unwed mother bore the holy child. Christmas was an uncomfortable journey to Bethlehem on the back of a donkey, it was being turned away from every inn and every comfort and every compassion, and it was the cursed pain of childbirth. It was dirty shepherds barging into the dirty cattle stall. And it was an honorable man by her side. And ultimately, it was a beautiful baby boy.

Yes, Mary surely pondered this night in her heart.

And it was this blessed holy vision that surely sustained her through the ups and downs of life … and through the utter horror of the cross, the brutal execution of her beloved son. We say “blessed is Mary among women.” That indeed is true, but she needed every blessing, hope, and bright memory to carry a tender mother’s heart through the journey God would send her on.

As you encounter trials in life, remember Mary. Remember to hearken back to and ponder the godly blessings to get you through every coming trial. And remember that for all those who love God and live according to his purposes, there’s a resurrection on the other side of the cross, and a bundle of joy on the other side of every birthpang.  

In Christ’s Love,

a father who wonderfully ponder

that first moment with that first child too