The Lost Art of Pondering

"So they (the shepherds) hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:16-19

Mary treasured and pondered.

Something has been nagging at me for a while. Each time I log into social media, or read some blog posts, or even overhear a public conversation that should be private, I start to wonder and worry that we've lost the art of pondering.

According to Merriam-Webster.com, Ponder is a verb (an action!) and means: 

1:  to weigh in the mind :  appraise <pondered their chances of success>

2

:  to think about :  reflect on <pondered the events of the day>

intransitive verb

3:  to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeply 

In these days, we feel so much freedom to share with

EVERYONE

EVERY THOUGHT we have,

EXACTLY when we have it. 

"I feel like Chinese tonight!"

"Ugh- I'm so sick of this weather!"

"My kids are driving me nuts!"

I understand these posts. I've posted these posts. But I've been thinking lately, should every thought be shared? Is everything going on in your life really for all the public to know? Have we lost the ability to think through our emotions, process them constructively and then wait and see what venues may arise for us to share our knowledge? Is getting immediate feedback on a poorly thought out, knee-jerk post more gratifying than a delayed response to a well thought out idea you choose to share with a carefully selected audience?

True, many people recently have met serious consequences due to their lack of discretion in what they share publicly. I just read this article about a young woman who cost her family a sizable settlement for sharing her thoughts about a situation publicly. Others have lost their jobs or relationships for similar mishaps, or honestly, for just saying inappropriate things publicly.

I don't have a smart phone. When I take a picture I use my good ole' digital camera, plug 'er into the desktop and upload photos into iphoto. If I want to share a picture I have to go through this lengthy process which ultimately saves me, I'm sure, from posting a thousand pictures a day. I don't have immediate access to everyone's tweets and twitters :) or their Instagram accounts or FB posts. If I felt the need to share every thought I had, it would be a lot harder than for some. I'm okay with that. And you know what? When my children get older, I don't want them to have smart phones or whatever else will be available, either.

I don't want my kids growing up thinking they are more important than they are. Actually every thought they have, every meal they eat, every outfit they wear and every vacation they go on is not everyone's business and not everyone actually cares. I want to raise them to invest deeply and meaningfully in a few core relationships, not interact in shallow ways with the masses. I want them to ponder how their words may make people feel before they throw them out for all to see. I want them to ponder what is worthy of their time- uploading selfies and pictures of their meals, venting about the interaction with a person who upset them- or learning to lean into God for all their self worth and validation? I want them to think about their world, their lives, what role they play in it all and let the things they hear in the quiet guide the words they say and the things they do in the light. I want them to know how to sit and wait, how to pray, how to write down their thoughts and ideas, how to go to God first when something overwhelms or confuses them, and how to honor God with this process. I want these things for myself, too. 

In the opening verses of Psalm 73, the Psalmist describes a situation that was confusing and oppressive to him. Then, in verses 16-17 he describes how he found clarity: 

"When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me til I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny."

Til I entered the sanctuary of God...

The psalmist knew how to ponder, how to think and pray and let God speak. He knew how to bring his concerns and fears to God and let God give him understanding. He didn't need to hear from anyone else- just God. I want this same knowledge and pursuit in my own life. I want to look forward more to getting into God's presence than logging into Facebook. I want to get in the habit of first bringing my thoughts or concerns to God, learning to wait on Him, and then asking Him if I need to follow up with someone else on what I learned in that process. I also don't want to be so consumed with sharing the little, less meaningful things each day that it takes time away from the process of pondering. I could spend 20 less minutes on social media each day giving me more time to ponder and be in God's presence.  

When we take time to think and truly reflect on the life that God has given us to live, I imagine we'll see blessing and grace and love like never before. I imagine this will enable us to live with purpose and meaning that far outweighs any instant feedback we get on a post we considered for a second before we typed it up and let it fly. I imagine God will guide and direct us as we ponder, and wait, and lean and pray. This is a pursuit worthy of my time. And yours. 

With love,

Latrice