A Season of Pondering and Praising!

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

The holiday-blues...we've heard about it, haven't we?  We might have even experienced a version of it.  I know I have and I am.  Today is the first day back to school for my kids and back to work for my husband after a glorious Christmas break! The house is empty and quiet for the first time in over a week.  And, although I do treasure the stillness...I look at the unlit Christmas tree and nativity, and my heart aches...

I love Christmas!  I love the decorations and the cooking and the time together, cooped up in the house, having nothing to do or nowhere to go, watching and endless selection of Christmas movies, eating until I'm so stuffed I can't sleep, waking up late, smelling the scented candles, wrapping up presents, finding creative ways to keeping them hidden from the kids, anticipating their looks when they finally open them on Christmas morning, receiving Christmas cards (being upset that I didn't send any myself)...all of it!  I love it all! And that's why the after Christmas-blues usually hits me hard on a day like today...when all seems over and done...

The mere thought of having to take down the decorations makes me tear up...

However, this year, I want to take a different approach to the post holidays.  I want to look at this time as a season on itself.  I want to make it a season of pondering.

hmmm...

When I read Luke 2: 19 I see Mary's version of the holiday blues...and I see the way she handled it:  by treasuring it all up and pondering it in her heart...and that's what I want to do!  I want to spend time savoring the experiences.  I might have been too busy and distracted during the actual events to even take time to reflect on them...so now it's when!  And I certainly didn't ponder much in between cookies, candy canes and wrapping paper...so today is the day!  

Today is the day to look back at the treasured memories and ponder how great God truly is!  And not because He gave me a new IPad (which I am truly treasuring, btw) but because He gave me Jesus! And it is through Jesus that all is possible:  my sons, my husband, my house, my job, my loved ones, my life and my salvation...

I'm sure Mary was confused about the future of her young family and of her newborn son...I'm sure among the many things she pondered was the uncertainty of it all...but I'm also sure that as she fixed her eyes on that Baby she was holding, all her pondering turned into praise!

And that's what I want to do as well:  I want my pondering to lead me to praising Him above all else!

Sigh...

So, as I put every figurine of the nativity scene back into their boxes, put the Christmas movie collection away, and vacuum the dust that has accumulated since late November, I want to ponder until my heart burst into worshiping and thanksgiving!  Praised be the Name of the Most High!  Praised be the Morning Star!  Praised be Our Emmanuel!