It was two days before Christmas when I rocked my first child. We had just returned home after five days in the hospital. The birth had been a painful one requiring surgery in order to save my child’s life. My sweet little baby girl was truly a miracle. She was beautiful in every way. Her skin felt like velvet, and her face begged to be kissed.

Thoughts of Mary cuddling her first Child on that first Christmas filled my head. What struck me most from the “Christmas Story” (Luke 2) was the phrase, “and Mary pondered all these things in her heart.” Here I was, a young mother, like Mary, with my first child. I had plenty of time to ponder the events of the past week as I recovered from the unexpected C-section. I found great comfort in holding my daughter against my very sore tummy, and as I did, I couldn’t help but wonder if Mary had also found comfort in holding Baby Jesus close to her heart.

I could even relate a bit to the difficulties Mary must have faced. Like Mary, I was far from home and in a “strange land” (California). Yet, Jesus, as well as my newborn, had real needs that only a mother could meet. Although I had loved the Christmas story ever since I was a child, I believe this was the first Christmas that I personally experienced the reality of Jesus’ humanity. Like Mary, I felt the uncertainty of being a new mom, but I also realized the extraordinary wonder that Mary must have felt as she held, in her arms, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.

Jesus’ birth was not the first of Mary’s ponderings. Those ponderings started with a visit from the angel, Gabriel, who told Mary that she would be having a baby miraculously, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Shortly after Jesus’ birth, a group of shepherds were sent by angels to marvel at this newborn babe. A bit later, a group of wise men came from a land far away and brought costly gifts (Matthew 2:1-12). The stories told in the Gospels are amazing, and Mary was a big part of those stories.

Mary had much to ponder throughout those 30-plus years of Jesus’ life. Probably foremost in her mind would be what she was told by Simeon in the temple about a week after Jesus’ birth – that Mary would experience excruciating pain as a part of the reason Jesus had been sent from the Heavenly Father.

Many who followed Jesus truly expected Him to be a conquering Messiah. The One who would overthrow the cruel Roman government to which they had been enslaved for so long. But Jesus’ purpose wasn’t to rid the world of physical evil.

All that Mary pondered during Jesus’ life must have swirled together like a blizzard of thoughts as she watched her firstborn die a gruesome death on that cross. He came to take the wrath of God upon Himself on the cross; to rescue us from the consequences of evil, and to reunite us in fellowship with God. As a result, the evil lurking in our own hearts can be totally cleansed away by humbly surrendering our lives to Him.

When we trust Him, Jesus, the Light of the world, He overcomes the darkness of our sinful hearts. I challenge everyone during this Christmas season, to ponder these thoughts in your own heart and marvel at the reality that Jesus came to conquer sin, yours and mine. Paying for our sins with His own blood. Then take the next step to confess your sins and surrender your whole heart to Jesus.

Jesus comes to you and says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

Merry Christmas from God!