Ponder It

"But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart."  Luke 2:19

On December 23rd, two days before Christmas, I was in a big fabric and crafts store (with my wife, who needed to get something!).  The whole front section of the store was a mess, there were five or six almost empty racks of what used to be their Christmas crafts section.  As I looked at the picked over and sparse holiday part of the store, I got a familiar sad feeling that told me Christmas was over, and it was still two days before Christmas!  I then noticed over to the left, a whole area filled with fresh new craft items.  The shelves were full and nothing had been picked through, it was very neat and inviting.  The area was filled with red hearts and Cupids.  Yes, two days before Christmas the store had already set up its Valentines Day section.
Our faced paced culture is telling us, Christmas is over, hustle over to the mall and exchange those gifts, and by the way you had better hurry because Valentines is coming soon.  In the above verse we see Jesus' mother Mary doing the exact opposite.  Mary had just been through some pretty crazy days leading up to Jesus' birth, and it says she took the time and "kept" those things in her heart, and "pondered" them.
This is not the season to push on past Christmas, it is the time to all the more dwell on and ponder all of what the season is about.  I say we should hit the brakes, slow down a bit and enjoy Christmas some more.
One of the names given Jesus is "Immanuel", which means, God with us.  That does not mean that God was just with us that first Christmas two thousand years ago, it means God is with us today.  That one thought ought to give us enough to puzzle over, and wonder about, every single day.  February 14th is still a long way off, lets slow down and ponder, its still Christmas, for God is indeed with us today.