I’m taking a class on spirituality this week and last night we talked about how one of the calls of discipleship is to ponder. Not ponder in the Greek sense of the word, to think deeply, but ponder in the Hebrew sense of the word, to hold tension and transform it.

Perhaps the most elusive example of this in the Bible is Mary. When Mary ponders the news that she will bear a child she does not think deeply (having the image here of Mary in the thinker position), she holds tension in her. Mary standing under the cross is not screaming about the injustice of her son being killed, she’s silent, but standing and strong.

The image that was used in the class was one of a water purifier. You hold the tension so as not to give it back -­‐ you transform it and give back something else, something better -­‐ or nothing at all if that is all you can muster at the moment. It’s not an excuse for abuse, but rather a way to give back good for evil -­‐ a way to make a difference on a small scale.

I wonder what our world would look like, our lives, our international conflicts, our misunderstandings if instead of responding to everything we pondered things more. If on hearing injustice we didn’t spout off more anger but rather held it and transformed it and gave back something better. The call to justice is important, but I think we get so hyped up on injustices that we get angry and the anger doesn’t help, it makes it harder for us to hear all sides.

The example that was given was a crowd standing outside a state execution. There are those who are there for justice (this person took a life and so we will take their life) and they are loud -­‐ they count down the time until the execution happens. And then there are people who are there who are there to be present and they are silent. They take the violence of the killing and the violence of the execution and they hold the tension. I think we need more people in this world who are willing to hold the tension.