A Shekel For Your Thoughts, Mary

In Luke 2:19 it says "But Mary kept all of these things and pondered them in her heart". I love picturing this in my mind. I can just see this young teenage lady that has just brought life into this world. She does not have the comfort of a hospital or even a house to take care of her little baby, but she does the best that she can with what she has. She wraps him in swaddling clothes and in that manger setting she holds him close to her bosom and contemplates all that is going on. What is going through her mind? No one knows for sure, but I believe her thoughts were coursing a path from the beginning of this young child's life all the way to the end. Just like any new parent, there were many uncertainties concerning the future. But, with this being the Messiah, the Savior, the very Son of Jehovah God, she knew His future was mapped out from miraculous birth to majestic death. We can speculate all we want about Mary's thoughts that morning, but we will never know for sure what they were. Had God wanted us to know, He would have told us. But, He did choose to tell us that she remembered this event and mulled it over in her mind. I think God told us what Mary did because it is a good thing for us to do as well. Don't get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the commercialization and miss the true meaning of Christmas. Take some time to think about what we are celebrating. Receive the gift that God has given to you.