The stockings were hung.
The lights were strung.
Signs of Jesus, there were none.
The box holding our nativity set sat unopened, moved from room to room to get it out of the way. In fact, I was getting ready to carry the box upstairs. After all, it’s December 20th…why bother now? I would need to clean to make space for it. Inside the big box were many little boxes safely storing all the pieces.
Little boxes filled with Styrofoam that crumbles when it’s taken out and those crumbles are staticky and make a mess that would demand more cleaning. It seemed like such a hassle with Christmas only a few days away, and packing it up is always a chore once Christmas has come and gone. But, I couldn’t carry the box away. Instead, I sat on my couch and cried. And prayed. And said I’m sorry to the very One whose birth is why we have this season anyway. Of all the decorations, His nativity should have been the first to be displayed and His very being should have been first in my heart, but I was ready to put Him into storage until next year and my heart grieved this place I found myself in. This place of exhaustion. This place of busyness. This place of striving. This place of meeting deadlines. This place of worrying. This place of feeling like I’m failing at life. This place of brokenness. This place of feeling so dry, and empty, and desperately needing a fresh filling of His love and His joy in my life.
Soon after, my first student came and handed me a gift with a card with a beautiful picture on the front and these simple words…O Come let us adore Him. Inside the card read, “Praying your Christmas is filled with silent wonder, simple joys, and sweet memories.” And the tears flowed as I was reminded again that He is why we celebrate. And I had to explain to this sweet young girl and her father why I was crying. That I have been so busy doing, and being, and running that I hadn’t made room in my life this Christmas season. And she played her song while those tears flowed and the words to that song were: “Father, we have come to bow down in worship. Lifting up our hearts, we bow down in prayer.” (Alleluia by Bethel)
And so, I made room.
I made room in my heart…
and in my home…
for Him.
And I will reflect on the wonders of His love. I will take time to enjoy the simple things of the season. And I will hold to many sweet memories of the past and soak in the moments of today. And so, I invite you to join me in making room for Him to dwell in your heart and in your home.
“Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing.
Come adore on bended knee…Christ the Lord, the newborn King.”
Wishing you peace and joy in abundance as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!