The explanations of wonder and amazement have faded away. Toys and empty boxes litter the floor. The newness is gone and that ‘must have’ toy has been kicked to the corner of the room. The days after Christmas are filled with inevitable squabbles and overwrought children. Too much candy and not enough sleep all become a part of the equation.
Neglected or Treasured
However, I wonder if sometimes we, too, abandon God’s gifts. How soon do we let the wonder of Christmas fade? When the shepherds left the manger it was with proclamation and praising. The encounter with Jesus had changed their lives.
As the shepherds declared the news, the people listened with wonder and amazement. (Luke 2:18) But how long were these individuals amazed? Was it just for the day? Or did it make a change in their life? We are not told. However, the writer of Luke does tell of what I would consider a contrast, found within Mary’s heart. She did not just hear with wonder and amazement, but she treasured those things in her heart and let them become imbedded in her life.
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Luke 2:19
The word kept means treasured or held close and to remember. Furthermore, the word pondered means to combine, to consider, to aid, to join.
The Wonder Treasured
Mary faced many unusual and hard incidents. Yet she received them as gifts from her Heavenly Father. Her heart open and ready to receive all that God had for her. Furthermore, she treasured those moments and on purpose remembered the intervention of God in her life. As she did so, those things became a part of her. They informed her actions and changed her life.
What about you? Are there gifts that God has given to you this Christmas season? Have you felt the promise of Emmanuel afresh and anew? Has his Presence been nearer than ever before? Have you felt God’s whisper of encouragement to your heart?
What are you doing with God’s gifts to you? Are you treasuring them? Will you let them inform your heart of God’s faithfulness when the hard times come? Or have you discarded those moments along with the torn wrapping paper and empty boxes, anxious to put those quiet moments behind you and get on with life? God gifts are given to be treasured and to aid us in our relationship with Him.
What Choice are You Making
Don’t pick up the mantle of busyness, nor neglect the gifts God has given. Instead, pause and wait in His Presence. Keep the wonder alive. Treasure and ponder God’s gifts to you. Furthermore, let the wonder inform your actions and change your life. Daily, find space to feed your soul and hear from heaven.
The weeks of Advent have passed and the celebration of Christmas is behind us. However, let this coming year be marked with wonder and amazement that will be treasured and pondered. Continue to pause in his Presence, lean into his promises and be kept in his peace. Don’t let the wonder fade.
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