Month: December 2020

A few years ago, after my father passed away, I found my Christmas list that he had saved from when I was a little girl. It said, “Dear Santa, I want high heels, 4 inches tall, size 1 ½ if they don’t have that size get size 3, a tape recorder, and a necklace with my birthstone on it. Let everything else be a surprise!” It was humorous thinking of asking for 4 inch heels at age 6.

With enough money all of the things on my list can be bought. Many of us have spent this past year making a list for things money can’t buy- peace, health, wisdom and joy. I think joy definitely needs to be on the top of my list. I desperately need it in the day and time we are living. Maybe like me, you’re searching for joy in the wrong places such as wanting everything to be “normal” again. True joy comes from God, and happiness comes from our circumstances. If we aren’t careful, we can let our circumstances affect our joy in the Lord.

In order to make room for Joy in our life this Christmas, it means there is no room for our bah-humbug, bad attitude. There is no room for our grouchy, grinchy disgust with people. We can’t live in whining, pouting Pottersville either! We can still have joy even when our circumstances aren’t ideal.

Consider the shepherds. They didn’t have many reasons for joy in their life. They lived outdoors among sheep and shepherding was considered a low-status job. They were considered ceremonially unclean, distrusted due to their nomad lifestyle and were often looked down upon by society.

I’m glad that God is not interested in our station in life, or what we have to offer. God decides our value, and He thinks we are valuable enough to redeem us. What a joyful thought! God sent the great message of joy to a group of lowly shepherds. That same message is for us today.

^{Luke 2:8-11} “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

What was the joyful news? It’s that a Saviour was born. This is the most joyful news anyone can hear. So many Christians today have lost the excitement of the joyful news that a Saviour was born.

Joyful Christians laugh, they read the Bible, they sing, they give, they serve, they hope and they choose to be joyful when things aren’t ideal.

So, this week if you are tempted to have a bah-humbug attitude, start singing a Christmas song. If you are getting the grinchy disgust with people think of a way to give to others or serve someone. If you find yourself in whining, pouting Pottersville, get out of there by choosing joy!

Joy to the world- the Lord has come!

Thanksgiving is over and I am preparing for Christmas. I’m preparing decorations, menus, activities, and gift giving. These are not on my usual schedule throughout the year. So how am I doing these extra things? I’m making room for them.

The most wonderful time of the year can often become the most stressful time of the year. Yet I wonder if all the gift giving and pushing ourselves to exhaustion is how God would want us to celebrate the birth of His Son? In the midst of the Christmas craziness, we can often forget the very reason we’re buying gifts and celebrating with family.

The year that Jesus was born was a crazy busy time in Bethlehem. The people were preparing for the census. Cooking extra food, renting out rooms, caring for animals and doing more things than they would have usually done.

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.“ (Luke 2:7)

No room for Jesus sets the tone for Jesus’ life on this earth and it’s still true today. “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.“ (I John 1:10)

Preparing Him room is giving God the the opportunity to do the decorating this Christmas. If you let Him, He will decorate your life with joy, peace, and love. It might be it the style of something unexpected, unplanned, or right in front of you nose. You have to look for it.

Let’s not get so caught up in the materialism and commercialization of Christmas that it crowds our heart. Let’s not be like that inn in the Bible, known as the place where there was no room for Jesus.

It’s past time to make room for Jesus. In fact, this is a good time for you and me to take stock of what truly matters most in our lives. Let every heart prepare Him room.