As a young girl, I loved Christmas time. It was full of preparation and anticipation.

The guys would bring in a freshly cut tree filling the home with the aroma of pine.  We would decorate it with age-old, handcrafted ornaments, stringed popcorn, and large, multi-colored bulbs.

I looked forward to evenings when the lights reflected off the huge picture window and walls the best.

While sitting on the floor admiring the dreamy view at night, I would begin to anticipate within my heart what gifts might magically appear Christmas morning. Would it be the Baby Alive doll, Barbie and Ken, new shoes and clothes?

The month of December seemed to be tortured by sleepless nights wondering what Christmas morning would deliver.

Is there something that you are preparing for with great anticipation?

Perhaps:

A nursery for the new arrival of your foster child?

Cleaning your current office with expectations for a new one at a new job?

Preparing your heart and mind for what the future holds right around the corner?

The bible does not say what Mary pondered in her heart during preparation for the anticipation of the birth of her child. I imagine the mystery of it all brought excitement, perplexity, and sleepless nights.

Considering the blessing God anointed Mary with, carrying God’s Son, did not mean it was easy for her (Luke 1:26-38).

  • It was not easy to share the news of her pregnancy with her husband.
  • It was not easy to bare the town gossip concerning her conception
  • It was difficult being pregnant while traveling on a donkey.
  • It was not easy watching her first-born brutally crucified at a young age.

We tend to have the misconception that if God calls us to something it should be smooth sailing and without struggle.

Then, when difficulties come, and they will, we question what God has done.

However, what God sets out to accomplish He completes. The more the struggle, the more the impossible is accomplished. The more the affliction, the MORE God is Glorified!

So, it’s important that we prepare for what God has appointed in our lives with a pure heart, right motives, and through much prayer.

How to prepare:

  • Spend quality time with the Lord.
  • Seek Him with ALL your heart.
  • Meditate on His word.
  • Intentionally put God first in everything you do.
  • Journal what He is doing in your walk with Him.
  • Abide in Him continually.

Our preparation anchors us in deeper faith sustaining us for what is around the corner.

Mary’s willingness to be the Lord’s servant, and trust in God’s calling carried her through her journey (Luke 1:38). That same level of trust, and surrender to the Lord can carry us in ours too.

When we know that God has appointed us to the next thing we can trust His heart for the unknown. We can trust His faithfulness. We can believe Him at His word. We can hold fast knowing He will see us through.

Now, as a grown woman, that little girl inside me still loves to sit at night looking at the Christmas tree illuminate the walls in the living room. The difference now is that I have received my gift of Salvation (John 3:16). I’m left with pondering in my heart the enormous amount of love God has for us.  The anticipation of the day I get to meet Jesus face to face will be the gift of a lifetime, or should I say the gift of eternity! 😉