It’s Christmas. It came again. Like it has every year. Am I ready? Not ready with my “to do list,” but ready in my heart.
We can spend all of our time getting ready for Christmas that we miss it in our hearts.
We spend our time decorating, buying gifts, wrapping gifts, grocery shopping, baking, sending out Christmas cards, attending parties, planning fun outings with family. Which are all great things and I look forward to these things each year. We can become so focused on these outward activities that our hearts are left feeling frazzled and empty. And we whisper the words in our hearts, “I’m ready for all of this to be over.”
There were plenty of people that missed Christ’s birth in Bethlehem all those years ago. Who were those that were ready? They were the wise men and the shepherds. Two of the most unlikely groups of people.
The wise men knew about the promised king from the scripture. And when they saw the star they went. The traveled with gifts seeking out the promised King and when they arrived they worshiped him. (Numbers 24:17, Matthew 2:1)
The shepherds were going about their daily night shift. When they were unexpectedly told by the angels of the King’s birth. So they went. They sought out the baby King and worshiped him. (Luke 2:8-14)
Yet there were likely hundreds of visitors in Bethlehem. There were no rooms available for Mary and Joseph to stay the night of Jesus birth. All those people and yet it was the wise men and shepherds who celebrated His birth that night. (Luke 2:6)
I want my heart to be ready today to receive King Jesus.
Thought I’ve spend much of this December distracted and frenzied by checking off my to do list, I don’t want to miss what it’s all really about. It’s never to late to stop and seek Jesus just like the wise men and shepherds did so long ago.
Today we don’t have to be distracted. Today we don’t have to be frenzied.
Today our hearts can be filled with all the JOY of celebrating his Birth.
It is not to late to stop. We can still seek Him and savor Christ birth.
