Hi,
I came across this message and it touched me very deeply and I decided to post it where I could return to it and it wouldn't be lost and also so others could enjoy it.
This is from a newsletter in our church.
When Jesus Christ came to teach the Nephites, he said, "Therefore, go ye unto your homes and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again. " (3 Ne 17:3)
Moroni used this same term as he closed his record "Behold I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things,...ye would remember how merciful th Lord hath been unto the children of men,... and ponder it in your hearts." (Moroni 10:3)
Ponder means to weigh mentally, think deeply about, deliberate, or meditate. By pondering, we give the Spirit an opportunity to impress and direct us. Pondering is a powerful link btween the heart and the mind. As we read the scriptures, our hearts and minds are touched. If we use the gift to ponder, w can take the eternal truths and realize how we can incorporate them into our daily actions.
Stilless, is essential to inner peace - the peace which opens the way for the Lord to speak in our soul. God speaks more often to our souls than he does in open vision. We need to prepare ourseves to listen by being still.
Pondering is a progressive mental pursuit. It is a great gift to those who have learned to use it. We can find understanding, insight, and practical application of the gospel if we use the power we have to ponder.
Application
I know that Rich was pondering the idea to have a garden, only we did not know where in the yard to place it that would work. As he pondered - it wasn't instant - he said "I have got it". We know that where to put it did not come from our own mental working because we had done that. It was only after including Heavenly Father and pondering did it work. We are thankful and have benefited from an abundance of vegetables. We also gained a testimony when asked to do something and asking he answers.
