Pondering

"The righteous parish, and no one ponders it in his heart." -Isaiah 57:1a

I randomly read this verse last night, and it struck me. I think it's a pretty neat verse because it challenges us to ask the hard questions. I think so often, Christians and churches don't ponder things in their heart. Either out of fear or out of laziness. I've spent most of my eighteen years giving brush-away, simple answers to hard questions. I've spent my life accepting whatever answer any church leader, parent, or friend told me. Not thinking for myself, that left me with a shallow faith. I was told my Sophomore year of high school by a man named Levi Carter that I reminded him of Mary, when it says in the scriptures, "She stored up all these things and pondered them in her heart." That comparison has always stayed with me. It reminds me that I have the potential to be thoughtful... but I think both fear and laziness hold me back. Asking the hard questions and looking at things totally different than how I was taught is hard... but if I want to grow, than this is the next step.