Yesterday I was asked, “So, are you ready for Christmas?” I thought for a short moment, thinking about what my wife and I had left to accomplish. The list was huge. It is two days before Christmas Eve and the house is a mess. I have papers, bills to pay and things to repair spread over the dining room table. My desk, where I should have been working instead of using the dining room table, is piled a foot deep with articles to fix, file, read, and sort. The house needs to be vacuumed and cleaned. The normal Christmas baking has not be done, there is a ridge of ice on the front steps of my house, and I am just slightly into reworking some plumbing in one of our bathrooms. Half of my garage is unusable because it is piled with the yearly Christmas decorations that were supposed to be arranged on the inside and outside the house; consequently my vehicle is collecting frost outside in the minus 43 degree wind-chill weather outside. The only decorations around our house that look Christmassy is a chain of coloured lights which I was able to hang along the garage. At least outside, from the street, the neighbours might think that we are ready for Christmas. Of course the family will come over as usual.
Oops, as I am writing I just burnt the cream of wheat – take a note to myself – “Clean the burnt pot before Christmas Eve”.
When I think of this list of things, compared to other years, lots will not get done and it will appear as if we are not ready. Compared to other years, I’m about a month behind schedule.
But the original question that was asked was not whether I have my lists accomplished, but, “am I ready for Christmas.” To this question the answered is, “Yes”.
Though we have reasons for things not being accomplished this year, Susan and I have determined to walk in the reality that Christmas is not about “these extras”, it is about Jesus Christ and His Spirit being with us. So this Christmas we may not have everything “in order”, but it was probably not “in order” on the day that Jesus was born. We are choosing to relax in the presence of our Lord, regardless of what is or is not accomplished on the list.
This Christmas season, choose to focus upon our Lord Jesus. He is the reason for the season.
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