19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her  heart.

 Luke 2:19  (NIV)
Mary had an eventful year. She spoke to an angel. She visited her  barren cousin, who gave birth to a prophet. She avoided being stoned. She  traveled to Bethlehem with Joseph and gave birth to the Messiah, in a barn.  Then, shepherds came to see her because a sky full of angels told them to. After  all of these happenings, she stopped to ponder. She took time to think about  what had happened, and she may have considered what would happen next. Sometimes  we all need a little time to just sit and ponder.

 This time of year my family likes to stop and  ponder about the events of the year. While we write a Christmas letter to family and friends, we go over all the memorable moments from the year and decide what we want to share.  As Mary pondered the events in her life, she treasured them in her heart.  Not everything is meant to shared. There are many special moments my family keeps to themselves, but we do take time to ponder and treasure all that God has done in our lives.

 I also spend this time looking what I had planned to accomplish and what I actually accomplished. This year I had some plans that did not come to pass. God had other plans for me.  I am sure Mary had not planned her year quite the way it happened. She probably
did not realize the next step in her journey would be fleeing to Egypt to protect her child from being killed. Planning is a key to success, but we cannot predict what will happen.  As we look to our future year, let’s also look to the One who knows the beginning from the end.

 The busyness of Christmas is almost over. The New Year will soon begin. This is a great time take a few moments to ponder the events of the year and make plans for next year. How can you make some moments to ponder in the next few days?

 Tomorrow’s reading is Luke 2:20.




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