Dec. 2, 2007 - Christmas is Upon Us....
I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas. Now that it is officially December, I cannot escape the advent calendar that counts how many days are left until THE BIG DAY. I put so much hard work, sweat, and anxiety into this one day. Each year I vow to simplify, to do less, but to do more in the way of things that really matter and each year at the end of December 25th I feel like it was not quite right... there is something missing. And I am a born-again Christian. Jesus's birth is front and center here in our home on Christmas and every other day of the year.
Or is it?
Oh how easy it is to get bogged down with the shoulds, coulds, want-tos, need-tos, have-tos that this season has to offer. But I am reminded that only one thing is needed, as Jesus told the busy hustling bustling Martha. In the words of my favorite of all Christmas carols "Let every heart prepare Him room". I have so little room left when I'm more concerned about buying the right gifts for people I know but not well enough to know what they want. I have very little room left when I've been baking goodies all day and start getting tired and frustrated by mounting dishes in the sink (dishwasher is broken here!). The room gets occupied by decking the halls and trying to keep the kids and the cat from un-decking all my hard work. And yes, it even gets taken up by the oodles of things I'd love to do with my kids to make this season more special but that end up being too stressful for all of us.
These are great things. I do love this season when we do turn our hearts toward Jesus and how he came as a baby to this sin-stricken world. I love to hear him being sung about in places you never would- shopping malls, radio stations of all kinds, and public school concerts. I love choosing just the right gift to make my children and husband grin from ear-to-ear. I love preparing for our annual, grown-ups only Christmas party.
But my prayer is that this year, my heart would just prepare Him room. Lord, take all the room You need. Show me if I need to give up some of my "Christmas crazies" to do the one thing that I so desperately need... spend time with You!
Comments
Dec. 2, 2007 - Untitled Comment
Posted by 2girlsand2boys
Oh! If only it really were just about His birth!
I feel the same way about the Christmas season. I usually get into a funk and come out of it around the beginning of January.
Glad to see I not the only one bothered by this "holly-jolly" season!
