The other day I pondered something that I have never thought much about before … and it amazed me.

We all have amazing things happen to us or witness them with our eyes. But do we ponder those amazing things or do we just file them in our heads as a great event, encounter or sighting to tell someone later?

For instance, a friend of mine just came home from a trip to Europe and, on his way back, he had an experience that he couldn’t stop talking about. It was amazing, but it was amazingly bad. When it was all said and done it was a great story and something that he will never forget. 

I wonder, however, if he had pondered on that event, whether he would have come away with some deeper thoughts on life, health and God. 

I had an experience a few years ago in the emergency department at the hospital. I wasn’t there for myself but to visit a patient. While I was there visiting with this patient and his wife, a prison inmate somehow got the gun from one of his guards. In the wrestling match that ensued, both the inmate and guard had their hands on the gun. 

This all went down about twenty feet from where we were. We were watching it all. The gun was waving around; I felt so uneasy but had nowhere to go. There was nowhere to hide or go for cover. We were exposed and the struggle for the gun between the officer and the inmate was intense. 

Then a shot was fired. 

It was deafening; the smell of gun powder filled the emerge … but the wrestling match continued and I just knew the gun would go off again. 

And it did. 

One bullet stuck into the wall; the other bullet struck a person in the leg.

It was a scary moment and I will never forget it. 

I’ve told the story many times, but I’m not sure I’ve pondered the event. What could have happened? How has it affected me? I’ve never really asked all the “what if” questions. … Nor have I asked why I was spared and that other visitor wounded. 

Sometimes you are satisfied with the story the amazing event produces. Sometimes you should ponder it. 

I did that the other day sweeping up sand and gravel from our church parking lot. 

I forgot to bring gloves and very quickly developed several blisters on my hands. I made it through the morning with blisters that kept growing in size but didn’t break.

I pondered that later, looking at the blisters on my palm and a few on my fingers and thumb. As I pondered those blisters, it dawned on me how remarkable our skin is. Our skin doesn’t just tear and shred when stressed; our skin actually protects itself. And our skin heals itself. 

Those blisters never did break and one week later you can’t see any sign that I ever had them. My skin has gone back to what it was before the abuse.

Here’s the thing: Most of the time, we take that kind of amazing thing for granted. But if you pondered it for a few moments, you have to consider that there was thought and planning that went into a person’s make up. How could this small, insignificant thing about our skin be by accident? When you ponder it, it points to an intelligent, thinking Creator who designed us. That’s who God is.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to take time to ponder? Leave your comments and questions below.

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