A favorite passage of mine in the Bible is in the second chapter of Luke. It comes after the angel of the Lord has informed the shepherds that Christ had been born and the “multitude of heavenly host” are praising God. It also comes after the shepherds head out to witness what the Lord had made known to them, and also after they see the baby “wrapped in swaddling clothes” and then leave out to spread the news.

In the King James Version, it is verse 19: “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

I remember when this verse first popped out at me. It was Christmas Eve, and I was sitting in church with my family. I was pregnant with my third child, and while this should have been a joyous time in my life, it wasn’t. Everything was topsy turvy and making sense of anything was practically impossible.

That was until I heard this verse.

I all of a sudden realized that I was not alone in feeling frightened and apprehensive. There was another young mother who had experienced difficult times — traveling on a donkey, while nine months pregnant and then having to deliver in a barn.

And let’s not forget all the visitors who showed up, like the shepherds.

Most new mothers are skittish about letting strangers around their little one, but not Mother Mary. She quietly sat there, recovering from birth, I might add, and let all who wanted to come and worship her child come, all the while pondering these moments in her heart.

The word ponder, according to Merriam-Webster, means to think about and reflect on… and when I heard this verse, I managed to do just that. When I did, it was kind of like the heavenly host all of a sudden appearing — a sweet peace came over me. I remember smiling and, at least for that moment, my worries evaporated.

And from then on, every time I hear this verse, I am reminded to ponder — sit quietly and reflect.

During the holidays, this is sometimes hard to do, with all the decorating and cooking and wrapping presents, but it is important for us – for me – to sit down and reflect. Reflect on all the good things I have to be thankful for — the family I love, the friends I cherish and for the baby who was born our Savior and is Christ the Lord.

Terri Cowart Frazier writes features for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.