Confession time: there’s a lot about the Christmas season that I really don’t like. The endless ads that start in October, the way many in the country seem to skip from Halloween to Christmas, completely neglecting Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), the pressure to find the right gifts for people, and the strain of coming up with a gift list for myself when I’m really trying to declutter my life. It’s exhausting and it sucks away a lot of the joy for me.
I need to get my heart in the right place this year and remember why and how to celebrate Christmas. That’s going to be the theme of Thursday Thoughts for the next several weeks.
A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. - Isaiah 40:3 ESV
All four gospels tell us that this prophecy from Isaiah is about John the Baptist. During his ministry, John urged people to repent of their sins and get ready Jesus’ coming. How do I apply John’s exhortation today? How do I prepare the way of Jesus in the wilderness?
One thing I can do is to check my heart for any wilderness, desert spots. I have let the crazy busyness and expectations make some hard places. I need to water them with God’s word, spending more time pondering the incredible gift of Jesus than I do feeding any stress I feel about the season. I can find and memorize verses to celebrate His coming and say those to myself when my thoughts try to run away with me. I could also put on some Christmas carols that speak about Jesus or listen to the first movement of Handel’s Messiah.
I think I’ll start there.
Think About: How do you prepare your heart for Christmas?
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