“The last few hours hum and pop and grind through her exhausted body...”
"No one this young has ever felt this old!" That's what she told herself as she lay there looking at the star through a hole in the corner of the roof. The words weren't offered in self-pity or sorrow — they were simply a statement of fact. It wasn't that she didn't know what she was talking about. She had certainly felt weariness and pain before. She was a girl well-acquainted with hard work. Further, she was as fit and strong as anyone else her age. After all, she spent a good part of each day carrying buckets of water the quarter mile from the nearest well to her family home. Her arms were strong, as were her legs and back. But, hard work and what she had gone through the past few days were two different things entirely. She had more aches and pains than she had places to feel them.
But, it didn't matter. In fact as she felt the strain and fatigue of the last few days, and especially, the last few hours hum and pop and grind through her exhausted body, a strong sense of satisfaction welled in her bosom. "I did it, I really did it! I travelled the three days to make it to Bethlehem and I gave birth to the Son of God. Thank you, Lord God Almighty — thank you for Jesus!"
As often happens when your body and mind have been in overdrive far too long, Mary, as exhausted as she was, couldn't sleep. Actually, it wasn't being overtired that prevented slumber. No, it was unabashed, unbridled excitement. It was the kind of excitement that would have been replaced with fear if she were only a few years older. But she wasn't. For now, she was young Mary, the one chosen by God to give birth to His Son. On this night of all nights, the realities of tomorrow had no business appearing. The wonder of the NOW was just too important!
Luke 2:19 states, "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." She was young. She was tired. She was in pain. She had just been dragged on a three day journey in her ninth month of pregnancy because of some faceless Roman Rat. But she still treasured every moment of her journey. She lay in the straw of a stable instead of her own bed, or even the bed of an inn, but that just didn't matter. She was too busy pondering the miracle that lay both in the manger a few feet away, and also in her heart!
It's fun to let your mind run and try to slip your feet into Mary's sandals, isn't it? I like to take a familiar passage from Scripture and try and wipe a bit of the dust off and try and dig deeper below the surface than I've gone before. But, to be honest, I don't do it enough! I guess I'm just too busy to be afforded that luxury. Or, perhaps, I'm too lazy. Maybe letting your mind fly is a function of youth and I'm starting to get old. I don't really know. But one thing I do know, pondering is something we need to do. Why? Because it's pondering, thinking, ruminating that separates us from the rest of God's creatures and connects us with the Divine.
So here is a question for you – when was the last time you pondered? When was the last time you just thought about God and what He has done for you through the years? When was the last time you thought about what you're doing for Him? I want to make a suggestion: take a lesson from Mary and do some pondering this Christmas.
Yeah, I know, but . . . And, yes I understand. I'm too busy, too! And, I really don't want to add to your stress or guilt this Christmas! Ok, here's the deal. If you want to get anything out of the Holiday Season, you have to stop and ponder, there's no other way to connect with the true meaning of the miracle of Christmas. Such a large present just has to be unwrapped slowly and with great thought.
I tell you what I'll do. Rather than suggest you do a bunch of things to capture Christmas, I'm going to make just one simple request. This is a request that everyone can handle and it won't add to your stressed out holiday load. Are you ready for the suggestion? On Christmas night, not Christmas Eve, but Christmas night, when all of the stress and bus-y-ness and insanity has melted away and the kids are in bed; when all the things you didn't get done no longer matter cause it's all over for another year, take time to ponder. Lie down on the couch, look at the tree and imagine you’re in that stable with Mary and you're both looking at that same Christmas Star.
Why do I want you to do this? Simple. You and Mary have a lot in common. Both of you have been pushed around by cultures and societies who have made Christmas a time filled with lots of extra stress. Both you and Mary have pains and strains. Both you and Mary have left friends and family behind and the Christmas stable seems foreign and empty. Both you and Mary have been given the miracle of God being born into our very midst. Both you and Mary have to have faith that your life, your journey, your futures will work out. Both of you have to trust in the care and protection that can only be provided by the Lord God, Himself.
So, since you have so much in common, why not do what she did. After the first Christmas was over, on that very night, she treasured and pondered everything that took place in order for God to wrap His love in flesh and blood. I guarantee, the more you ponder the more you'll marvel, and the younger you'll feel! Remember, on Christmas night of all nights, the realities of tomorrow have no business appearing. The wonder of the NOW is just too important!