Advent, Day 17: Preps 2

Good morning,

Yesterday, I was driving to the grocery store when a friend called.  She is the mother of one of my son's friends.  She needed a sympathetic ear.

We commiserated about the foibles and antics of our sons for a bit.  One of the things she said to me was that she felt like a failure as a mother.  So, I (hopefully) encouraged us both, talking about "perspective".

For a woman, to feel a sense of failure at a job is one thing, as a wife another, but....as a mother...that is (to me at least) the hardest "failure" to get through.  Christian mothers see their number one "ministry" as their families, especially their children.

In yesterday's blog post, the theme was "getting ready for God".  John the Baptist had this as his primary mission, to "get the people ready for God's new thing".

To recap from yesterday, during Advent we need to get our hearts ready for Jesus' birth .  But, just like my friend yesterday, and I am also susceptible to this, we can sometimes let our "failures" or perceived failures steal our Christmas blessing.

The reality is that, whether you are a Christian or not, if you have lived long enough, you have experienced failure in some form or other.  Some people react to that by rejecting God and "giving up".  Their attitude is:  "I can't be good enough for God or for those Christian people; so, I'm just not going to try."

Then, there is a pernicious lie out there.  It says that if you live the Christian life "the right way", you will have no problems, no adversity, no disappointments, no failures....
This lie has been around since even before Jesus' day.  It was a hallmark of the Pharisees' belief system.  It is anti-God, and it cripples many Christians.

God has made it plain that He uses our adverse circumstances to purify us, refine us, mold us more into the image of His Son.  So, sometimes, what we perceive as "failures" aren't really failures at all. That does not make them any less potentially paralyzing or painful, however.

"For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison."

2 Corinthians 4:17

If you are wrestling with your own failures today, real or perceived, here is God's antidote so that you can prepare your heart for Christmas:
1.  Confess and repent.  If you have truly sinned, there is no other way to become restored in your relationship with your Lord.  He will use your failures for His glory, if you will give them to Him.
2.  Perspective - - - Recognize that God is in control of your past, present and future realities.  Like my friend, I sometimes am in total despair over my circumstances ... and the self-beatings begin. This snare of Satan's is not God-honoring, because it usually leads to my becoming less effective for my Savior.

"Let every heart prepare Him room"...

Do you understand what that command means?  It means to exert your own will to move yourself off of the throne of your life and make room, so that King Jesus can reign in your heart!  And, not only during Advent, but especially during Advent.

If you are wondering where the scripture reference is for that phrase above, there isn't one.  It is not a Bible quote, but is instead from the Christmas hymn "Joy to the World".  It is impossible to have joy, though, unless we make room for Jesus Christ and His lordship over our lives.

We read in Luke 2:1-7 that there was no room for Mary, Joseph and the soon-to-be-delivered Baby Jesus in the local inns of Bethlehem.  Perhaps Isaac Watts, who wrote "Joy to the World", was meditating on that when he wrote that famous Christmas hymn.  Or perhaps he was thinking of Psalm 98:1-4.

O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

2 The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

3.  Praise Him!  Ugh...in the midst of sorrow, failure, pain?  So hard....so necessary!

OH yes!  Joy to the world....the Lord is come!  Another verse from that Christmas hymn says, "No more let sin and sorrow reign..."

If you are "sorrowing" today, give your sorrow to God as you submit to His greater plan.  His ways are beyond our understandings, but always, always, we can trust in His infinite love for us!  So, let's praise Him!

Dear Lord, help us.  Let Your Holy Spirit flame up within us, filling us up.  Send your light to our darkest corners and burn out from there all of our sorrow, and regret and doubt and fear.  Let your glorious light sweep our hearts clean and fill them with your everlasting joy and peace today.  As we prepare You room, prepare our hearts for Christmas.  With love and praise, in Jesus' name, amen.