13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

-Luke 2:13-20

I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard this story every year of my life at church during Christmas time. It’s such a wonderful and exciting story, but if you’re anything like me, in the hustle and bustle of life, it has almost lost its sparkle.

This year, it feels a little different though. Verse 19 is coming to life for me in a brand new way. “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” That has always just seemed like a random little aside in the scripture to me. The shepherds were excited to come and excited to go. Then there was Mary, sitting right in the middle of the story, just pondering.

Pondering? Really? That’s not what I’d have been doing in her situation! At least, I never thought so until this year.

She knew so much more than the shepherds. She knew what the angel had told her, and probably also knew what he had told Joseph. She knew what her cousin Elizabeth had said about her baby. She knew the prophecies. She knew who her son was, and she got to hold and look at the face of God!

It seems so foreign to me. Once I know something, I don’t spend a lot of time just dwelling it. If it’s new, then I’m excited to share my new knowledge. When I spend time pondering, it is usually about things that I don’t know or things that cause me anxiety.

Through this adoption process, I’ve begun to understand Mary a little better. We know that God has called us to adopt. We know what He has said to us.  We know the confirmation that He has brought in so many different ways. Unlike Mary, we have not yet been able to hold and look at the face of our child, but we know, like she did, that God has some BIG plans for that little life.

While we know these things, there is still much we don’t know, and we are excited to see how the story will unfold. In recent months, like Mary, I have found myself storing up all the unexpected blessings that have come our way to help bring this adoption about, and pondering about how this plan will come to life.

God has used many of you to create the stories we are storing as treasures. We have often talked about how fun it will be to share the stories with our child about all the people who helped bring him or her home through their prayers, time, words of encouragement and financial contributions. One thing we know, is that this child is already well-loved and anticipated by many!

We are also pondering in amazement as we watch God make a way when there seemed to be no way almost a year ago.  At orientation in April, when we saw how much this adventure was going to cost, it was overwhelming. In the past 8 months, we have seen God provide almost $8,000 through His people. In the last month alone, several people have felt led to give toward our adoption fund. Every time we receive an unsolicited gift, it stuns us and makes us feel so loved. We see God moving, and we know that He is working to provide the funds at just the right time. We are now $5,062 away from meeting our fundraising goal. We are beyond thankful and grateful to our many friends who have joined us in this journey.

As I look at the story again and see Mary still there, pondering, I am beginning to understand that, while she knew so much, she was probably anxious like any first time mother is. Not only did she have to figure out how to be a mom, she also had been given the privilege and responsibility to raise the Messiah! As God confirmed this over and over, I’m sure her pondering must have included some prayers for wisdom about how to do that. Can you imagine what it must have been like for her?

Like Mary, we pray that we are up to the challenge of training our child up in the way he or she should go. Would you join us in that prayer?