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

I love Christmastime. I am one of the few odd people in this world who find cold weather refreshing, dance when it snows, and think twinkling lights in a dark sky are beautiful even when it’s dark at 4 p.m. At the same time, I am very aware that we can get so lost in all the busyness that we miss the beauty and main focus: the birth of God Himself, distilled into a tiny baby, come to live among us and then die so we could live. That may be the “reason for the season,” but it is often lost in all that other stuff we do! We need to take a lesson from Jesus’ mother, Mary, who treasured up “all these things” and “pondered them in her heart.” So … in the hope of helping us all salvage the joy part of Christmas, here’s a way to mind our p’s and q’s this year:

Pause

I’ve learned this the hard way. I used to think I would rest just as soon as the work was done. Now, just writing it here makes me laugh. Really? When is the work ever completely done? No sooner have you emptied the dishwasher than you are filling it again. The hamper is similar in its ability to always have something in it. Even when I clean a room, it could always be just a bit cleaner. God, in His wisdom, declared that we should rest periodically, whether or not there was work to do. When He established the pattern of six days of work and one day of rest, it contained no exception clauses for work not being done. You just stopped. I’ve learned to pause several times each day, and I’ve found that those mini-breaks enable me to return to work with greater vigor. I start with a quiet time, reading the Word and praying. I take a reading and rest break after lunch. I end the day with milk and a cookie and no electronics—just a physical book. Those pauses fuel my work, clear my mind, and help me “ponder the pattern my life is weaving,” to quote a favorite of mine, John Baillie, from his A Diary of Private Prayer. Especially at Christmas … add a few short pauses in your day to sit and look at candles, or your Christmas tree, or nativity sets. Don’t miss moments of pausing and pondering.

Pray

Christmas is not always an easy time. Relatives can be all too human and annoying. And, let’s be real. We, too, can be pretty quirky and annoying. Sometimes the ache from the loss of a loved one feels overwhelming during the holidays. It’s hard to celebrate when you are longing for the one no longer there. So, we pray. We pray for God’s kind of love—sacrificial, caring, undeserved—to permeate our hearts and thoughts toward “that relative” of ours. We pray for a loved one who is estranged, or we ask God to help us remember the good times with the one who has died, thanking Him for the time we had, instead of feeling angry that the time was too short. It’s always too short. We pray for peace, for trust, and for reminders that we are always loved by our good, good Father, who does not change like shifting shadows but is always and forever with us if we’ve come to Him and asked to be His. He loves us on the good days, and He loves us on the bad days. Always.

Quit

When it’s time to stop for one of our pauses, we use all our strength to quit for a bit. When we start cycling in our heads unhelpful narratives and bitter thoughts, “if only” thinking that leads nowhere, or lies about how no one cares, even though God always does, we just quit. Stop those thoughts and replace them with what is true: “‘I have loved you with an everlasting love,’”  says God Almighty (Jeremiah 31:3a NIV). “‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool’”  (Isaiah 1:18b NIV), assures our wonderful Savior. Quitting the worry, the pity parties, and the behavior patterns that only hurt you is so freeing! And sometimes we need to quit thinking we can do it on our own and seek help from a pastor, a wise friend, or a counselor.

Quiet

Finally, we need to quiet our hearts each day so that we can hear the voice of the One who speaks only truth and love to us. Let’s determine that the work of Christmas will just have to fit around the quiet that we establish as non-negotiable. Sit by the tree. Read a book that reflects God’s goodness. Meditate on the Bible verses surrounding Christ’s birth. Be still and know that He is God … and you, dear one, are forever loved.

Father God, this is easier to read and write than it is to practice. Help us all to keep the focus where it belongs this Christmas, taking the time to be still with You, the One who came to save. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Almighty God, in this quiet hour I seek communion with thee. From the fret and fever of the day’s business, from the world’s discordant noises, from the praise and blame of men, from the confused thoughts and vain imaginations of my own heart, I would now turn aside and seek the quietness of Thy presence. All day have I toiled and striven, but now in the stillness of heart and the clear light of thine eternity, I would ponder the pattern my life is weaving.
—John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer
New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1949, p. 27

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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