Make the Time

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you reading this. I don’t have a riding post to share but I had a revelation that warranted documenting for myself so I just figured I’d share it here as well.

The past several weeks have been incredibly busy and in many ways exhausting physically and mentally.  It’s so easy to allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed and inadequate. The hustle and bustle getting ready for Christmas,  working full time, and still doing the daily chores and errands, cooking and cleaning and the list goes on.

I did make sure this year that I started my annual tradition of making gingerbread items with each of my  grandchildren, that are old enough, early so that they would not be rushed.  Next year there will be 9 to do so I’m making a note to myself to start early again. It’s such a fun time and a blessing to have that time with each of them to watch their little minds be creative and to be so proud of their completed masterpiece. They couldn’t wait to share them with their moms and dads. I captured photos and videos of their intentional decorating and their concentration on each detail so I can watch it all again and again. It’s something I look forward to as much if not more than they do every year.

We are each God’s masterpiece and we need to remember that He too made us with attention to details. We are all made in His image, yet are as different as each gingerbread house. They start out with the same foundation,  yet each one turns out differently.

The youngest required more help at barely 2 years old than the oldest, at 9 years old, but each one was special and unique. This relates to Christians too, the newest believers require extra guidance compared to the older more seasoned Christians and it’s up to the elders to share that knowledge and guidance. There is a “baby ” Christian at work and He is so excited to share His journey and his new found hope in Jesus.  The only thing he wanted for Christmas was a cross necklace,  and he was so excited to receive it from his wife prior to Christmas. He came to work and said he couldn’t wait to show me and that he is wearing it, “loud and proud.”

Sometimes as Christians we can become so “routine” in our walk that we can miss out on the excitement of following Jesus and the yearning to get closer to Him. We can forget to be loud and proud and to share His good news with others.

It’s Christmas Eve and I told my husband it just didn’t feel like Christmas this year. The crazy warm temperatures caused part of that feeling but it’s also because something was missing. Decorating for Christmas always involves putting up the tree and decorating it with specific ornaments that have special meanings. There are items that typically go under the tree as well, which I knew would not happen this year for the first time due to a puppy in the house but I made peace with that.

The family nativity going out on the dining room table was put on hold so as not to be a temptation to little hands making gingerbread masterpieces and just due to so many other things going on. I had previously told my mom it may be Christmas Eve this year before I got it up. Well, it’s Christmas Eve and it’s still not yet up. Part of me thought well it’s too late to do it now and part of me knew it needed to be done.  The internal struggle went on, then my husband asked why I hadn’t put it out this year. I explained why and when I heard it come out of my mouth I realized that’s what was missing.  It didn’t feel like Christmas because I left out one of the most important routines of all, putting up the nativity. 

I then cleaned all of the clutter that had accumulated off the table, got out the nativity, and put it in it’s rightful place. NOW it feels like Christmas.

Just like the table needed to be decluttered to make room for the nativity,  our hearts and minds sometimes need to be decluttered to make room for Jesus. Jesus is not just a baby lying in a manger.

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

He is our Father, the great physician,  teacher, and our Savior. He deserves to be first in our hearts and minds, not an after thought.  When He is put first in His rightful place, everything else will fall into place, just like the nativity needed to be in it’s place so it would feel like Christmas.

Merry Christmas!!