Inspired to Prepare My Home and My Heart

"And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." Luke 2:12 (KJV)

My friend, Jean (My Conversations with God blogger), inspired me yesterday to get up and get moving!! She was talking about getting rid of "clutter" and what my upstairs was cluttered with was boxes of Christmas decorations. Contrary to the wishes of my 8 year old, I had a bit of trouble conjuring up the desire to tackle the mountain of cartons filled to the brim with Christmas-y "treasures" collected over the years.

I turned the TV to that wonderful station that plays holiday songs, took a deep breath, and set to work! In a matter of minutes, I was humming...and smiling...and I must admit, there was a bit of dancing around the room. (I was home alone.) Warm memories (Hmmm... "Winter must be cold for those with no warm mem'ries." Name that movie!...sorry! family quirkiness!)...warm memories of days of decorating when the girls were small...and home...brought such a feeling of satisfaction and joy. As I took out each item, thoughts of the circumstances surrounding their becoming a part of our collection...given as gifts from friends, family, or students of mine or bought for personal reasons...made my heart feel glad...and appreciative. I worked for hours finding just the right spot for each. Finally I was able to just sit and look around at how it looked...rest my aching back...and breathe a sigh of relief.

As I surveyed the room, I thought, "Man, that took a lot of preparation!" And without skipping a beat, I heard the words, "Joy, to the world! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room...." During this time of year we do so much "preparation." We decorate the house. We bake the Christmas cookies. We shop. And shop. And shop. We wrap the gifts. We hustle. We bustle. We run here. We run there. And I'm thinking we need to just pause...often...to prepare Him room in our hearts and in our holiday. Let's take time to sit by the fire, or by the tree and enjoy the peace of His presence, and consider the depth of His love...that God would come to earth as a baby, take on flesh, die, and be resurrected that we might live. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace...." Luke 2:14 (KJV)

Lord, please forgive us when we let the cares and activity of this world keep us from You. Please help us to take the time to worship You...to talk to You...to listen to You...to read Your Word...to celebrate You and Your birthday this season.