They don’t “come home for Christmas” any more, any of them. They all have their own families now, and homes and a hundred other things to prepare for the season’s celebration. But if they were coming here, I would be preparing a place for them.
He, the Father, prepared a place for Christ to come to, to enter into the human race as a human infant. Prepared a womb to nurture, a manger to hold, a perfectly symbolic feeding place of sheep, in Bethlehem, “the House of Bread.”
He is preparing a place for me even now, in His own Heavenly Home, that I may be where He is in forever-unbroken, unmarred fellowship.
In turn, how do I prepare for Him, for celebration of His first Advent, for His return at His second? If He were coming to my earthly house to stay, what would I have to do to the guest room? How would I prepare?
I don’t know about you, but for lots of us, guest rooms can lose their sense of purpose, of being what they were intended for. They can take on entirely different focus, and its accompanying clutter. So when that surprise call comes announcing, “I’d like to come and stay awhile,” near panic arises with the awareness of that embarrassing clutter accumulation that must be cleared out, pronto, to restore the room to its original purpose.
His guest room, my heart, gets into the same predicament. An astonishing amount of earth-junk can mysteriously make its way in there, as clutter adds to clutter, till it obscures any resting place, even a spot for Him to seat Himself for a few moments, let alone take up residence.
It’s time to renew the preparations of my heart, first of all by making sure there’s room for Him in my “in,” that central room of my heart. A lot of clutter needs to go. A clean, clear space for the King of my life.
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Excellent analogy and lesson. May all our hearts be prepared.
Thanks, Floyd, for your kind encouragement. May your Christmas season be richly blessed with His presence.
For the first time in several years, our son and his family will be here for Christmas. Daughter Becky and family live close by so they will be here. Other Daughter Judie has grown girls who will be with them for Christmas, so we rejoice with who and what we have and as you say prepare our hearts for Jesus to be renewed in us. Judie does come for short visits through out the year, so we are not left with out visits. My husband does not want to travel, and I have considered going alone to visit some who I have not seen in many years. He also wants me close by so that presents a problem, but a nice one.
Hazel, my hubs doesn’t want to leave the “homestead” unoccupied either, especially when the weather gets cold and we need to get neighbors to take care of some things for us. I haven’t been confident that my vision would hold out for the length trip I have to make if I go alone, but last time I made a visit, I took a bus, first time since college. It was… interesting. (heh) I have a neighbor who sometimes goes the same direction and asks me along. Otherwise I don’t visit as often as I’d like. Seems we’re kind of in the same boat.
clutter. oh my. yes our houses, our minds and even our hearts get cluttered, don’t they?
Preparation is a continual process isn’t it?
Much love this Holiday season…
And same back to you, Laurie! He’s helped me avoid a lot of the usual clutter this year by a cold that won’t quit and that’s turned into a roaring sinus infection. This slowing is a blessing in disguise: despite the sneezes, coughs and trumpeting nose blowing, I am quieted. God is good. Good blessings from Him to you as well (but I don’t mean the cold!)
Love the word picture you’ve created here, with an issue that needs to be addressed! Beautiful, thanks for the encouragement! <3
Shelly, this just kinda wrote itself… because, yes, it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. I’ve tried to address it each year, and each year, I think it gets a little bit better. Working on it! Thanks for *your* encouragement!
I loved this and will bookmark its address. I love how you took me along with you to Bethlehem and then to your heart. You so subtly, yet excellently, mirrored the one with the other. Love, love, love this…and you!
Dawn, I could simply ditto to you what I just said to Shelly. Glad it’s meaningful to you. You are in my heart. Someday we have to meet up, for lunch or something. (Maybe come spring… ) Love you too.
I enjoyed this post. So true that our hearts need to be de-cluttered. Thank you for the reminder that I need to make room, deliberately, for Him. I am glad that I visited from Recommendation Saturday. May you have a blessed Christmas!
~~Joanne~~
I’m glad, too that you visited from RS. Thanks for commenting. Deliberately, that’s the good word! A blessed Christmas to you and yours as well!