Is There Room in Your Inn?

           

            Although we’re not technically into the theological Christmas season (which starts next Sunday with Advent), I’m going to kick off the season today, with a familiar passage in the Gospel of Luke. I’m sure you’ve heard it before.

           

            “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling

            cloths, and laid Him in a manager; because there was no room for them

            in the inn” (Luke 2:7 NKJV).

            Because there was no room for them in the inn.

No room for you—

           

            Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever been told the hotel was full, the motel was booked, that there was no place for you to stay? Even your friends or relatives didn’t have a room to put you up in. So you had to cancel your plans, request to be put on the waiting list, or drive on to the next town, hoping they’d have room for you there.

           

            Pretty frustrating, isn’t it? And don’t you get at least the tiniest impression that you don’t rate as high on the importance scale as everyone else does when that happens? You feel kind of second-class.

           

Preparing for the guest

           

            Now think back to a time where you knew in advance that a friend or relative was coming to visit you. They may have called you unexpectedly, or at the last minute, and asked if you could put them up for a night or two, or maybe more. Maybe they didn’t even ask, like when some parents call and just tell you they’re coming and expect you to put them up, without asking permission or checking to see if your schedule will flex around their vacation.

           

            You said yes and then made plans to accommodate them. And you probably had to go through some trouble or inconvenience to your schedule to do that. You had to make sure the sheets and towels were clean and you had enough food in the kitchen to cover the extra people. Maybe you had to rearrange your schedule to pick them up at the airport, or be home when they drove to your house and spilled out onto your driveway with their luggage. Maybe you even had to take a vacation day to make sure all was ready when they arrived.

Extending an invitation

           

            But what if you were the one who presented the invitation? In that case, you probably had done some serious mental and schedule planning. You really wanted to make sure your friends or relatives had a great time and made great memories staying with you, so you made sure the guest bedroom was looking extra special and clean. (Or you booted one of your kids to the living room couch so your guests could enjoy privacy in a nice room.)

           

            You might have zipped down to Bed, Bath and Beyond to purchase brand new extra-fluffy bath towels for them—the works, with color-coordinated spa-sized bath sheets, fingertip towels and washcloths. You bought food treats for them to enjoy, maybe some of their favorite wine. You had a calendar full of activities, and a line-up of local sites for them to see, so you could show them the best of your hometown. You wanted to make an impression.

           

            Why?

           

            To show them just how much you love and appreciate them. You made room for them to show them just how much they mean to you.

           

  
Preparing for the welcome

          

            And that’s where we’re going with today’s post.

           

            As we look toward and gear up for this special, holy season, have you made room for the person it celebrates? For Jesus? Is there room for Him in your inn?

           

            Since He doesn’t take up residence in a physical inn any longer, but sets up shop in your heart, have you done all you can to prepare your heart to receive Him and give Him a place to stay? I mean really prepare it. Not just think about it a couple of times, but really have the cobwebs swept out, the windows thrown open to give it fresh, clean scent, and the surroundings looking as though someone put some time in the expectation and joy of receiving a guest?

           

            Or are you more distracted with the fringe benefits of the season—the gifts, the food, the traveling, the special choir and symphony performances—with the actual celebration of His first Advent creeping in as an afterthought?

           

            And that’s my challenge to you—to all of us—this Advent. To do some spring cleaning of our hearts in winter in order to be fully prepared to receive Him anew this Christmas. In a fresh way. To pray and think more about Him than we do about making sure we’ll get the best deals on whatever it is we’re purchasing for presents. To spend more time with Him than we do on decorating every square inch of the house, planning meals, making shopping lists, and preparing the spread.

Making room for Him in your inn

           

            Instead, let’s prepare and decorate our hearts. If we do, an interesting thing will happen.

           

            Our hearts will be overcome with joy and flooded with peace. Because that’s what this magnificent guest brings with Him. And what does He want as a present?

           

            You.

           

            If you haven’t given Him that yet, I pray you do so this year. He’s a houseguest you won’t ever want to leave. Be ready when He knocks.

           

            If you have already opened your heart to Him, you may need to do some major cleaning to make sure He feels at home, or some spot cleaning to make sure you feel as though you’ve done all you could to show Him just how much you love and appreciate Him.

           

            Sometimes the ones closest to us are the ones we tend to overlook.

            So spend the week preparing your heart for the arrival of the King of Kings! He’s the most important visitor you’ll ever have, and you don’t want to look back with regret at not making room for Him in your inn.

Blessings,

           

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photos courtesy of Google Images

For Whom Are You Thankful?

           

            If you live in the United States, you know Thanksgiving is this Thursday. A national holiday where we gather with family and friends and sit down to a HUGE meal to talk, reminisce, take a post-turkey meal nap and maybe watch the brain-numbing lineup of televised football games. Some people may break away to go to the mall to make their first Christmas purchases of the season.

           

            Oh, and did I say anything about it being a day of expressing thanks? That actually should have been the first thing on the list, but it seems to have taken a backseat to the other items I named. Many people just consider Thanksgiving to be the kick-off day to Christmas (like a one-day advent celebration) and post-season college and professional football playoffs. Or it’s just a day to get off work, overeat, and sleep in.

Passing the acorn

           

            On Thanksgiving it is our family’s tradition to pass a little acorn (or some other seasonal, commemorative item) around the table and say one thing they’re thankful for. (It seems to help if they have something in their hands they can hold onto when thinking and talking.) But I’m going to change it up this year. (My prerogative since I’m the manager of the home and the official event planner.)

Tweaking the thankfulness focus

           

            This year, instead of having everyone proclaim what they’re thankful for—good health, family, friends, good grades, opportunities, etc.—I’m going to ask that they name a person in their life they are grateful for. (So as not to box the kids into choosing me or the engineer or a grandparent who is present at the table, I’ll have them pick out someone we might not know, like an instructor, mentor or special friend.) I’m going to ask them: For whom are you thankful? I’ll give them the heads up time to think about it, first, before the table’s set. Coming up with one special person may not be as easy as it seems.

            Who would you name?

           

            Better yet, who would name you?

           

            Ahh, now there’s a tense question. Who might name you as someone they’re thankful for, and why?

  

Give them something they'll really remember

          

            This might sound really arrogant, but I keep a box of all of the notes or letters someone has sent to me, thanking me for something special I’ve done for them. I mean really thanking me. Not just the usual “Thanks for the gift” or “Thanks for Your Thoughtfulness” notes. I mean the really special ones where the sender spent time penning in a special note just to me, naming what they were so grateful for. How I affected their life for the better. How they’ll never forget what I said or did for them.

           

           

            Like the beautiful, lengthy poem the psychiatric patient wrote to me on the fly while he eavesdropped on a spiritual conversation I had with another patient. It walloped my heart so hard after I left the barred and locked hospital unit and read it that I slumped against the wall and bawled my eyes out, overcome by how God had chosen to use me as a vessel to give hope to this hurting man. When I touched the fragile line between genius and mental breakdown. One of the most humbling experiences of my life.

            Like the card a friend sent me saying how much she loved and appreciated me because I allowed her to be, well, her. That I could listen non-judgmentally and in empathy. How she could trust me with her heart and painful secrets.

            Or the thank you note from a friend telling me how much she appreciates that we make her feel like a member of our family and include her in our family events. Not hard for me to do since she has a heart that never stops loving and giving, and she’s like a sister to me. (But she recently moved back to Georgia so this Thanksgiving I’m mourning my big loss.)

            And the card sent to me by a young mother (who was my age at the time), thanking me for orchestrating a time of fasting and prayer for her brain cancer-ridden toddler that resulted in a medical miracle. Actually, all I did was respond to the Lord’s leading to do that, and He answered magnificently. (Another humbling experience.)

           

            Those are the kind of letters I save in my special box. The ones that let me know that I made a difference in someone’s life; that I led them to the Lord. That I offered them His grace.

           

            That I did what I’m supposed to do as a Christian down here on this little planet, for the meager amount of time I’m here.

            So this Thanksgiving I encourage you: instead of making a list of what, make a list of whom. And then if you have time, write them a note to tell them why.

           

            It may be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to them, and they may never throw it away.

            How’s that for a Thanksgiving treat and early Christmas present!

_____________________________________

            For those of you who would like to continue our focus on peace for this Thanksgiving, you’ll want to read (or get a refresher with) my 2016 post: “Want Peace? Give a Peace Offering.” You’ll find it at this link:

http://brokenheartsredeemed.blogspot.com/2016/11/want-peace-give-peace-offering.html

And next week we’ll be into the Christmas season and Advent, so the month of December will focus on that. Hint: it will include peace! J

Blessings,

           

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photos courtesy of Google Images           

Want Peace? Make a Gratitudinal Change (AKA: Everyday Thankfulness)

            Since we’re into our Thanksgiving month here in the U.S., I wanted to take us down the path of gratitude today. And that should be helpful, since gratitude helps you experience peace.

            To help us prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving, and for the Christmas season, I’ve included this link to a great article by respected Bible teacher, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

            She offers you a challenge.

            “…no matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what’s happened to you along the way, you can be changed into a person who’s known and marked by gratitude. God can do it in you.

Are you ready?”

            If you think you are, or even if you want some information and maybe some time to think about it, read Nancy’s article. Be challenged.

            And give thanks!

“Everyday Thankfulness” http://justbetweenus.org/health/spiritual-health/how-to-be-thankful/

May the rest of your day and week be blessed!

Until next week.

Blessings,

           

Andrea

May you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Photos courtesy of Google Images