Socrates is credited as saying that an unexamined life is not worth living. But, how often do we take the time to examine, ponder, ruminate, mull over, reflect, speculate, muse, wonder or meditate? Unless we take the time to ponder how we live our lives, pondering will never be a part of our lives.

A Good Pondering

I like what Gordon MacDonald says in his book, Ordering your Private World, “Ponder the pattern your life is weaving.”  If we consider what we are doing and why we are doing it, then the pattern of our lives will look much different from a life lived without considering any pattern at all. 

Consequently, one of the recurring schemes in my life is faith. Macrina Wiederkehr in her book Abide gives a wonderful definition of faith: “Living without complete answers is called faith.” 

Though I trust God to lead me in the way I should go, I don’t always know exactly where God is leading me. But, that does not mean I sit down and go nowhere. It just means that no matter which direction I choose to go, God is there assuring me to keep going. 

For instance, since publishing my book, my desire has been to speak to audiences about forgiveness. Though the paths I’ve pursued to speak about the topic of forgiveness have not all panned out, some have. Those that have, have opened up to other opportunities. My passion motivates me to keep moving forward, by faith. Even though I do not have every step mapped out, I don’t need to. I’m only required to take one step at a time. 

Another design in my life is that of reading. I read to learn. I read authors who offer knowledge, and good principles and that shore up my beliefs. Good authors do not just fill pages with information and opinions, but their books are filled with substance that causes our brains to think. Good authors always write about what they themselves have experienced and can therefore write from a heart of experience. 

Finally, another criterion in my life is to keep tabs on my emotions. Though they are very good teachers, emotions are not always good leaders. There are times when I am emotionally out of breath, that is, I get so worked up over something that my breath becomes shallow. When that happens, I know it is time to take a deep breath and reconceptualize my thoughts. Thankfully, catching my breath is only a matter of slowing down my breath. 

Why bother pondering? When we see the value of scheduling a regular time to ponder,  ruminate, contemplate and consider then we will discover whether we like the type of pattern we are weaving with our lives. Thankfully, we can make alterations when necessary.