I Wasn't Ready For It

God once said, “Let light shine out of the darkness!” And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ.

—2 Corinthians 4:6

I wasn’t ready for it.  I hadn’t dusted or vacuumed. Or prepared my prepare-ahead-of-time dishes.  I hadn’t decorated—I hadn’t bedecked every flat surface with my snowman collection.  My tree was barely up (barely being the operative word). No skirt wrapped around its base.  And worse—no tree-topper crowned its pinnacle!

I wasn’t ready for it.

I didn’t expect family members to come this soon. Family members were on their way. And time was ticking. And…I can’t, Lord.  I can’t do it all. Show me what to let go of and give me peace no matter what unfolds. Help me to focus on what really matters and enjoy every moment.

I wasn’t ready for it.
 

I thought about the first Christmas. Was the young Virgin Mary ready to give birth? Was Joseph ready to become a father? An unexpected census sent them to Bethlehem and Jesus was on His way. Time was ticking. And there was no room prepared for them. 

No time to dust a dirty stable. No time to decorate for the coming King.

But Christmas came.

“She brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).

And shepherds came.

At the direction of the angel, they “came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.  Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.  And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:16-19).

I pushed presents against the base of the tree and then turned on the lights. Suddenly I couldn’t see the dust! But the treetop? Well, it was still empty. Hmm…maybe a new Christmas symbol.  Jesus was born to die for us. He hung on a tree for our sins.  But the tree is empty and so is the tomb. Jesus’ resurrection proved that He truly was, as the angel said, “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

There is much ado about Christmas—and much to do to seemingly prepare for it. But the truth is the only thing we need to ready is our hearts.  As Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart, let us keep what we have heard about the Christ child and ponder them in ours. And with haste, let us come to Jesus and open our hearts to His forgiveness—His indescribable gift of salvation. May His light shine in our hearts today and His presence be the basis of our life forevermore.

I wasn’t ready for it. But Christmas came—in all its magic and brought joy to my heart and peace to my soul.

Dear Heavenly Father, I once was a sill-sitting snowman on the precipice of my sin’s demise, but Christmas came and warmed my heart. Thank You for this indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15). The light of Your love shone in my heart (2 Corinthians 4:6) and covered my multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). May I, like the Magi who looked to a star to guide them to Jesus, look to You to guide my everyday life, Christmas and always. Thank You for Your heavenly peace. Selah.

Jesus was born to die for our sins that we might be reborn to live.