Preparing our Hearts for Christmas

I am a CHRISTMAS FANATIC! I love the preparations, the lights, the smell of the tree, baking cookies, cookie parties, decorating gingerbread houses, serving hot apple cider, listening to Christmas Carols and the gathering of friends and family. I love making memories and creating new ones. I love to make gifts and to give gifts because I love to bless other people. I love all things that sparkle and I love that Jesus is the center of it all……BUT is He really?

How do we keep the sense of magic that surrounds the holidays balanced between our family traditions and a rich time of spiritual reflection? This will look different in every family. My goal this year is to look at our traditions as something that can enhance, not distract from our celebration of a meaningful spiritual holiday BUT this is a CHALLENGE…….The week before Christmas we discovered a small leak under our refrigerator. What we thought was a small inconvenience has turned into a fiasco. We will spend the holidays with our refrigerator in our entry way and a huge part of our kitchen floor removed and patch up temporarily until we can get a construction crew in here to make the need repairs in January.

This is how I decorated the space in the kitchen where my refrigerator usually sits.

I have the opportunity this morning to talk to a group of women about how to prepare our hearts and minds for the TRUE celebration of the season so we can experience the TRUE meaning of Christmas. How do we insulate ourselves from the influences of the culture and at the same time shine so brightly for Jesus that the whole world (our circle of influence) will see and feel the light of life that dwells within us and cannot be contained?

Henry Nouwen wrote “Once I am truly convinced that preparing the heart is more important than preparing the Christmas tree, I will be a lot less frustrated at the end of the day!”

 “Christmas is a blessed season, and if we come to it seeking the warm, confirming spirit which testifies of Jesus Christ…we will find light and life in the experiences of this holy season.”

The Psalms are full of life giving words that were sung and chanted in congregations throughout history. In the psalms we find many qualities of faith and characteristics of our Lord that are emphasized at Christmas. I have been studying the psalms with this group of ladies this fall. We have been learning that God is the source of our hope, He is our refuge and we can trust in Him, He is our shepherd and He will meet our needs. My challenge and commitment this years has been to discipline my mind and my thoughts so I can experience God in a deeper way.

It is my thoughts that make me sing and it is my song that makes me enjoy my thoughts…..So for this Christmas season and throughout the new year…..I need my thoughts to focus on Jesus- my EMMANUEL-GOD WITH US!!!!

Let’s begin to prepare our hearts for Christmas!!!!! Let’s work on our thoughts and let our thoughts make us sing!!!