Tag Archives: Expectaions

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Every Heart Prepare Him Room

Many of us have spent lots of time recently decorating for Christmas, making cookies and other special goodies. We prepare our home inside and out with festive decorations. If you are like me – the ornaments and decorations hold many special memories themselves and getting them out and on display reminds me of happy times in years past.

I can’t give an accurate account of the amount of time I spend in holiday preparations, yet it is significant.

We sang my second favorite Christmas carol at our church service today – “Joy to the World”. The chorus includes these words – “let every heart, prepare Him room…” A friend, Kathryn Boyer, shared after worship that God had convicted her about that phrase. Was she preparing room in her heart for Jesus? The baby born of the virgin Mary. The promised Messiah. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Holy Spirit nudged me – no, it was more like a jab – and challenged me to consider the condition of my heart. Was there room being prepared in my heart for Jesus? Amidst all my decorating, baking, planning and preparing for Christmas was my heart ready for Jesus – the very reason that I celebrate Christmas???

What does it mean to “prepare Him room”?

  1. My first thought on this is making space in my busy schedule. Am I so busy I put aside prayer, Bible reading, worship, and/or fellowship? I must prioritize my time with Jesus.
  2. I must not let my preparations for Christmas push my relationship with Jesus – whose birth is why we celebrate Christmas – aside.
  3. Instead my very preparations should themselves “prepare room”. I can use decorations that celebrate the birth of Jesus and point to the reality of His birth.
  4. My baking and cooking can bless others by showing them love and care.
  5. Jesus wanted us, His followers, to share His love and meet the needs of those around us.
  6. Inviting others to share our celebration of Christmas is inviting Jesus. Jesus taught us that if we serve others, we are serving Him.

Preparing Him room in our hearts requires us to be intentional with our thoughts and actions.

Jesus tells us, His followers in Matthew 6:19-21 –

9 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

The Amplified Version explains the meaning this way – “where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.”

If my celebration of Christmas centers on how amazing my lights and decorations are, how many dozens of cookies I can bake, or how stressed I am with all the grandchildren coming, I am NOT preparing room for Jesus. One step into eternity my collection of holiday china won’t mean a thing.

I desire to center my celebration of Jesus’ birth by preparing my heart to honor and worship Him. “May every heart prepare Him room.”

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Harvesting and Scheduling…?

I was talking with my long-time friend Carol about the work of preserving food from our gardens. We both love fresh vegetables, I mean what is better than a vine ripened tomato sandwich?! Each of our husbands have worked hard in their gardens and we certainly want to honor their efforts by preserving as much food as possible.

Yet, you can’t schedule when the harvest is ripe and ready to gather. Once it is picked, it must be canned, frozen, shared, and/or eaten before it spoils. That means we wash green beans, snap, prepare jars and begin the canning process no matter what else we may have on our “schedules”.

Carol and I were discussing the reality of dropping everything WE had planned to do so that we could process the fruits of our husbands’ labor. I must admit that my attitude is somewhat different this year because last year I put up very little from our garden. Between ground hogs, racoons, lack of rain, and travel, our garden suffered. This year the harvest has been plentiful! We have been able to share fresh vegetables with family and friends and I have –

  • canned beans
  • frozen tomatoes for winter soup
  • made tomato sauce
  • prepared squash and onions to freeze for cassoroles and soup
  • made dill pickles (Phil made bread and butter pickles)
  • made raspberry jam (thank you Carol for the lesson)
  • frozen blueberries for winter desserts

So our “schedule” goes out the window to do what must be done. Fresh vegetables and fruit don’t wait.

As Carol said – you do what you have to do.

Isn’t this true of all aspects of our lives? We plan with good intentions but “life happens”. Loved ones become ill. Grandchildren need our care. We worship and fellowship. We volunteer and serve others. We attend family events and sport activities. All the while tending to the tasks of everyday life. We plan so we can accommodate all these parts of our lives.

James, the elder disciple and apostle of Jesus wrote in James 4:13-15 –

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Our attitude must be one of seeking God’s will and accepting the circumstances and changes in our lives with grace. James is not saying that we shouldn’t plan ahead. He says “we will live and do this or that” yet “If it is the Lord’s will.” Recognizing that all those fresh vegetables are a BLESSING – not just more work.

That requires an adjustment to my attitude. Plan ahead, but see life’s everyday occurrences as opportunities to accept God’s will. Elizabeth Elliot said “In acceptance lays peace.”

Lord, may I recognize that my days – and schedule – are in your hands. Not my will but yours be done.

Amen

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Holding Onto Hope

I usually post pictures of beautiful flowers in my yard. This picture is not beautiful, but it is real. This is how my once beautiful camellia bush looks. It is an “evergreen” – although now it is not. It is brown and dead looking.

So I face the decision of whether to cut it way back, wait to see if any new growth emerges, or just cut it down.

I am holding on to hope. I am waiting until May 15th and then I will decide how much to cut back. ANY glimmer of green will be a sign that the bush is not dead.

  • Hope means I don’t give up too soon.
  • Hope means waiting since there may be life lurking in the roots that will spread upward into the stems.
  • Hope means trust in what is not seen. I don’t see life – but it may still be there.’

Isn’t that how I often respond when disappointments occur in life? My first reaction when things don’t go my way is to give up. “It looks dead – what’s the use?” Then, because I tend toward an optimistic outlook of life, I look closer. Yet I still may not “see” a positive outcome. Do I hold on to hope?

Many of my disappointments in life come because a person or group has failed me or let me down. (or I think they have) My thoughts go toward blaming others instead of taking responsibility for what I can personally do. That is more difficult, isn’t it? It is SO much easier to blame others!

Sometimes my greatest hopes aren’t fulfilled. I begin to question my faith and God’s love for me. I must always remember I live in a broken, fallen world and that trials, disappointments, and suffering are part of living on this earth. Yet Jesus came to save this world! My HOPE is in Jesus. I hold on to him.

In Romans 5:3-5 Paul says

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

Hope in Jesus never fails.

I must hold onto hope and not give up. The outcome may be very different than what I expected or even hoped for. Yet God’s love for me never ends and God is faithful.

I will watch carefully for any sign of life in my camellia bushes. I don’t see any sign of life yet…..but I hold on to hope.