Pondering these things...

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

I cannot even begin to imagine what Mary must have been thinking, much less feeling, as she watched people from all over come and worship her Baby Boy. It must have been unimaginable, unthinkable that those things which had come to pass had happened to her. Do you think she was overwhelmed, or amazed?

If she was anything like me, I believe it was both. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by all that I have to get done and the things that I feel called to do; and, at the same time I am amazed by what I have already seen God do, amazed by what He is doing.

However, that doesn't keep me from getting in His way. So many times I take what I feel like the Lord has said to me,and immediately jump in to "make things happen". Like God needs me to help Him accomplish His will for my life. Now it does require obedience on my part, but really...

Do I have to jump on the band wagon of dating sites (which, by-the-way, really do nothing for a girl's self-esteem) or ask people to set me up or worse, well, we don't need to go there...Why can't I just wait for the Lord to send me the person He has for me? Why can't I trust Him to fulfill my loneliness...to bring me the perfect partner that He has for me?

What about my career? The Lord has done some amazing things and giving me great opportunities where I am, so, why can't I be happy with those things in this moment without always trying to figure out what is next? I believe that my call is to teach. That has been confirmed, but maybe teaching is supposed to start where I'm at rather than me waiting until I get a certain degree, or an invite into full time ministry. Perhaps I should worry more about being a good leader where I am rather than worrying about the leader I am going to be.

See, Mary didn't run out and try to make things happen herself. She didn't wonder around going "what will I do" or make a big deal about what was taking place. She simply heard the Lord, was willing to follow His lead, and waited on Him. Not only did she see His glory, see His words come to pass, but she got to be the mom of our Savior.  She had great things to ponder, to think about because she was obedient, and waited on the Lord.

Our callings and purposes for life won't ever be as great as Mary's, but the Lord certainly has great things in store. May we all, especially me, be willing to do more listening, and to be more obedient so that we will certainly have great things to ponder.