A voice of one crying out:
Prepare the way of the Lord in the
wilderness;
make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be leveled;
the uneven ground will become smooth
and the rough places, a plain.
make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be leveled;
the uneven ground will become smooth
and the rough places, a plain.
Isaiah 40:3-4 (HCSB)
25 days
till Christmas. Are you prepared? I'm not talking about whether or not you've
put up the tree, strung lights around the house or decorated. Perhaps you are
in the 'busy'ness of the pre-season. Shopping. Addressing Christmas cards.
Baking cookies. Making sure each person on your list has that special gift from
you.
It's so
easy to get caught up in all the planning we miss sight of the reason why we
celebrate.
JESUS.
It
seems ironic but the times I've best prepared to celebrate Christmas occurred
when my boys were quite young. We didn't have a lot of outside activities at
the time so that helped some. One of the things we did started the first Sunday
in Advent. Each year I would purchase at our local Christian bookstore a new
Christmas devotional we could go through together as a family. I made sure to
pick one with crafts and activities appropriate for their age group. Each night
after supper we spent time working through the book.
While
the activities were often simple, the scripture verses helped to prepare my
heart (and my kids') for why we celebrate the holiday. Each verse pointed to
Christ and why He came to this earth.
The
kids are long since gone, but I still feel the need to prepare my heart for the
holiday. I want to participate in activities which remind me of Him. I desire
to fine-tune my list so I have time to ask Him to show me how I can be more
like Him. I pray I won't miss out on opportunities to bless others in the
process. As I make special gifts may I be reminded to pray for each recipient.
He is
the reason why we celebrate. He is the reason why we prepare for the holiday.
Prayer
Prepare
my heart, O Lord, so I might bless others this Christmas.
Jodie Wolfe loves writing
stories about feisty heroines and strong, godly heroes. The power of story to
influence lives and change hearts is what motivates her to weave tales that
tell of the Savior’s faithfulness. Jodie writes for Home School Enrichment magazine and had a devotion featured on
Christian Devotions.
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