Tag: things

PONDER THESE THINGS

A phrase from the Bible that has sparked a chord in my heart (no pun intended!) recently is that
“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered all these things in her heart.”  Luke 2:19 (NIV)
and
“His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”  Luke 2:51  (NIV)
The background to the first line is shortly after Jesus’ birth when an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the fields nearby bringing them the good news of great joy for all people announcing the birth of Christ.  Once the shepherds saw Jesus lying in the manger, they spread the words that the angel told them.  How amazing is it to think that Mary, the mother of baby Jesus, took time and pondered all these things in her heart?
The passage from Luke 2:51 is when Jesus was about 12 years old and Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Passover.  When Mary and Joseph were heading home, after a day into the trip, they suddenly realized Jesus was missing. They headed back and THREE days later they found Jesus teaching in the temple.  Jesus told Mary, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”  Luke 2:49  (NIV)  And, again, Mary treasured all these things in her heart.
I think we can relate with Mary on many levels.
…Her willingness to do what God asked of her–to be the Mother of Jesus…not telling God she would not do it.
…Pondering in her heart what Jesus’ life would be like…not announcing to everyone that He was the Holy One.
…Treasuring the thoughts of what Jesus would do for His Father…not getting angry at Jesus for not being with them.
…Knowing that Jesus was really here to do God’s will she had to release Jesus back to God.  Imagine watching your Son suffer an excruciating, painful death being hung on the cross…
Mary
Have you ever thought about the hardship Mary endured as the Mother of Jesus experiencing these things? Yet, she left us a wonderful example.  If she, being the Mother of Jesus, pondered and treasured all these events in her life, how much more should we ponder and treasure the words and parables Jesus shared with us?
Do you ever “ponder” things in your heart or “treasure things in your heart?”  I think that is probably a natural thing to do especially if you are a parent.  Different milestones in your child’s life might be something you ponder or treasure.
How about even Scripture passages or prayers for people? Do you “ponder” or “treasure in your heart” those things? How about the many “God incidents” you experience in your life? Do you share them with others to strengthen their faith too?

Here is a link to a song, Mary Did you Know, that I think is truly beautiful and makes one ponder what Mary was thinking. Listen and be blessed.

Mary lived a gentle, humble life pondering and treasuring even the little things…..Let us strive to be more like Mary in our lives.
2 Timothy 2:7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

THE LITTLE THINGS

“Never get tired of doing the little things for others. For sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their heart.”

Did you ever stop to think about how much the little, simple things in life can mean so much to someone?

I think doing “little” things for people is just as important as doing “big” things for people. We are not all called to change the world in a big way, but instead called to do the “little” things we can for others each and every day.

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PHOTO CREDIT BY PATI MORRIS UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE (CC BY 2.0)

We can help change the world one person at a time and those things can have an awesome ripple affect.

For me, something as simple as someone telling me they’re praying for me when I’m going through a medical procedure or test makes a world of difference.

One day recently when I was working lots of extra hours and very stressed with deadlines, when my supervisor finally took a minute to say she realized that my workload could not be done in my 20 hours a week, it was like a huge load was lifted from my shoulders. Just that little comment meant so much.

Something as simple as making a meal for a person in need is one example of a simple gesture you could do.

Praying for those with a special need or even texting someone to let them know you are thinking of them are other simple ways we can make a difference in somebody’s life and share the Christ in us.

You might see some person you don’t know and offer a prayer for God to help meet a need in their life.

Maybe telling an artist their picture really touched you will encourage them in their creativity.

Can you think of a time in your life when you did a simple, little thing that touched someone else?

You may never know what the impact your simple gesture had on their life on this earth. Your simple little action might be just what the person needed to change their life.

Final small things
Photo credit by Petey under Creative Commons License (CC BY-ND 2.0). Words added by hopetoinspireyou.wordpress

So continue to look for ways you can do simple acts of love for another. Remember what an influence you can have on other people with doing the simple, little things that mean so much. You can make such a difference in someone’s life today!

When I posted the opening quote on Facebook it was such a blessing to see a post by a friend who said she was just making dinner to help someone in need, and she remembered when I had made dinner for her in her time of need. That was a cool validation of this truth. It was cool to see her reading that quote just as she was living it out and also remembering when someone did it for her.

What “little” thing can you do for someone today?

“And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” –Matthew 25:40