Earlier this month, my friend, Sherry Kyle said on twitter (@sherrykyle), “Is your heart ready for Christmas?” Such a great question and it has stayed with me.
Rush, Rush, Rush
So many of the things we do this month are to prepare for Christmas. Right now, many of us are in the “Last Big Christmas Push,” stage. We still have gifts to buy and wrap, we’re getting those last Christmas cards out and baking for next week. Kids will be out of school and things are about to get chaotic in a “Celebrate!” kind of way. Many of us are trying to finish up a stack of work so we can take a few days off over the holidays. People start asking you, “Are you ready for Christmas?” Answer: Almost!
Prepare. Cook. Wrap. Prepare. Work. Cram. Hurry. Prepare.
The question is, what are we doing to prepare our hearts? What gift are we preparing for Him? Have we thought about what we can give Him?
Jesus Can Keep Pace with Us
We know the “correct” answer is to give Him our hearts, but what is a practical way we can do that? Jesus did all the amazing things He did so we could be with Him, in His Presence. Perhaps we should invite Him right into all the “hustle and bustle.”
We don’t want Jesus to knock on the door of our heart, ask to see us, and we say, “If you could just wait on the porch for a minute. I’m still wrapping and baking and well, things are just crazy in here!” How about if we say, “Jesus! Come in! I’ve been dying to talk to you. Sorry I’ve been so busy. Let’s visit while I wrap these gifts.”
Or maybe you hear His soft knock on your heart so you turn off the radio on the commute home and talk to Jesus instead. These days, no one will even think you’re talking to yourself. They’ll assume you’re on the phone–hands-free headset, of course!
Be the Present by Being “Present”
He is always with us and I don’t mean to imply by these examples that He’s not. But when He makes Himself known to us, when we sense the Holy Spirit nudging us to open our eyes and acknowledge Jesus, let’s respond with open hearts. Let’s prepare our hearts to receive Him and give Him the gift of being present, of engaging with Him. Isn’t this what “pray without ceasing” means? (I Thess. 5:17)
What activities can you invite Jesus into this week?