Points to Ponder

UV 601/10,000 Points to Ponder “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2 v 19 Mary treasured the things she saw, experienced and heard and stored it in her mind. She often rejoiced in recalling it. We too need to treasure the things the Lord has spoken to us or caused to happen in our lives. The word, “ treasured” implies that these are the most precious or valuable aspects of our lives. Just as a collector of rare treasures takes out these from his storehouse from time to time, we need to recall and thank the Lord for these amazing blessings. These are the treasures that neither moth nor rust can destroy nor thief can rob. In fact, we rob ourselves of this pleasure when we fail to remember and ponder the Word and the acts of benevolence of our Lord. It is a kind of spiritual and non-threatening “pregnancy” of our minds. I have a gut feeling that a person who constantly does this, will never fall a victim to Alzheimer’s for his or her memory, brain and body would be blessed with the warmth, glow and grace of these divine memories. Mary remembered the words Jesus spoke, the things He did and glorified the Lord. We too must remember the words Jesus spoke to us and the miracles He has done in our lives. When we do so, our faith is strengthened and Satan cannot find room in our thoughts to either weaken it or to drive a wedge between God and us. Mary recalled the details of what various people like the shepherds experienced. She recalled the amazing visitation of angels. She recalled what the angels said to the shepherds: “ Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace and goodwill to all men upon whom His favour rests.” She not just recalled it but pondered over each word spoken, the details of each event and experience. She connected the dots between what was spoken by the prophets, what the angel of the Lord spoke to her and to Joseph, what her cousin Elizabeth said and what Simeon and Anna said. She later recalled the miracle at the marriage at Canna. She rejoiced later on as each Word spoken got fulfilled. These memories comforted her as she perceived His torture, agony and trauma on the cross at Calvary. It is no wonder that the gospel of Luke, not a contemporary witness or disciple of Jesus, contains more details and personal conversations as it was based on Luke interviewing Mary and others to discover the whole truth about Jesus. Similarly, in this day and time, our “mindscape” should be covered with memorials to the living God. Today, we have the Holy Spirit aiding us as a Rememberancer who prompts us to remember things the Lord has done from long ago in our lives. We will realize that He is with us for the long haul and not just for a fleeting or transitory relationship. Recently He said, “ When you were very young, your family was rejected by some big people. But, today I have made you a cornerstone in their eyes and they have come several times to you for a favour or help.” He also said, “ This year 2012, I have done countless miracles in your lives such that I have never done ever before.” So much for 2012 being the end of the world in the Aztec calendar. This year for instance, He revealed Himself in a beautiful silver cross that appeared on my laptop screen while I was on google chat with a friend recounting another beautiful and unique reverse rainbow that He had pulled down from the sky to the ground. When we remember such things from our early as well as up- to -date experiences and encounters with the Lord, it helps us glorify Him, to rejoice in the fact of His faithfulness and to thank Him for the victory and fulfillment of promises or uni-verses He gave us. As an exercise before the year end, let us try to recall 365/366 things the Lord either spoke or did in our lives. Prateep V Philip