Amy McVay Saying this year has been hard, would be an understatement. I can’t begin to comprehend what each person reading these words has faced this year. My heart goes out to each one of you.
I know there has been much disappointment and loss of hopes and dreams in our home this year. We have all been grieving.
And yet in the midst of loss, I have also seen a lot of good. In our family, it has allowed for much needed conversations, quality time together, creativity, renovations, and other dreams to surface that may have been buried beneath the life we were living before.
We have done more renovation projects in the past year than I ever thought possible. From turning our family room into a bedroom for our two teenage daughters, making space for their younger brother to move into their old room, to making a closet into an office for my husband, to clearing space in our backyard for a much needed shed with a separate room to use as an additional office/creative space. Whew! It’s been so good, but also a lot of work. In order to make all of this happen we had to talk it all out, and make a plan.
Last week, I was inspired by a lyric from the classic Christmas hymn, Joy To The World, written in 1719. The words that struck me were, “Let every heart, prepare Him room”. I began to wonder, what does it mean to prepare Him room?
Knowing December was just around the corner, how was I going to prepare my heart and mind for the Christmas season? As I began to pray and ask God, the idea came to me of sharing more often on my blog in December, and not just me, but inviting my family to be a part of it too. I just got to thinking of all we have to share that is not store bought this Christmas. And maybe that is one way we can prepare Him room…
There are often many things to prepare for in December. Buying gifts, decorating our houses and trees, cooking, baking, gathering with family and friends, and more. To prepare means “to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity.” What does it look like to make ready room in our hearts for Jesus? I believe it begins with being intentional.
I think of this new room that we have now in our shed. It took intention and planning for it to become a reality. I had to ask for it. It didn’t come about until it was spoken out of my mouth. We now have room to write, make music, do art, and enjoy some quiet space to breathe.
I am realizing more and more, that I don’t do very well without a plan. In years past I have felt run over by the holidays. Now I see the benefit and necessity of making a plan in advance, not necessarily of all the things I need to do, more like what I’m not going to do and what I want to be sure to make room and time for.
Making ready room in my heart for Jesus this season looks like making a plan for time in His Word and in prayer, singing in worship, and showing up to write and share words of encouragement and hope with you.
2020 has not been what any of us expected. None of us could have imagined that when we rang in the new year last January, two months later we would be facing a global pandemic.
Even in the midst of the unexpected, we can face each day with confidence knowing what we can expect. We can expect God to be with us, no matter our circumstances. We can expect that His love for us is constant and never ends and is not based on our performance. We can expect that He is returning to take us to be with Him in Heaven, where He is preparing a room for us right now. (see John 14:2-3).
May the words of this hymn wash over your hearts. Soak in these truths of who Jesus is for you. He is our freedom, our rest, our strength and comfort, our hope, our desire, our joy, our King, and our deliverer. Amen.
