As we prayed the Rosary last night, the first time in two weeks, I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me about Advent. He said, "Prepare YE the way of the Lord!" He didn't say, "Hurry up, get stressed, get grumpy, get it ALL done NOW!" He said prepare YE. So does this mean, YE...prepare everything!? Or could it mean...prepare YE? As in, prepare myself. Prepare my heart. Something so simple, but I've managed to get wrong all of these years. As if it is only MY job to prepare the whole world for the coming of Christ. It is not. I am to prepare myself first. In my personal preparations, hopefully I am a living witness to my children and others around me that stir something in them to prepare themselves.
So I have comitted myself to not stress about all that needs to be done for His arrival. I know I'll fail, but I am determined to arrive at Christmas morning in peace. I am resolved to do what I can to prepare physically for His arrival, but more importantly, I will strive to prepare my heart, my mind, my soul for Christ's coming.
May you have a blessed Advent and embrace the truest meaning of this season.
Thanks for the reminder. I've been going and going, which is stressing me out. I need to remember the reason for the season, take a deep breath and slow down!
ReplyDeleteIt is a daily, actually, an hourly struggle with me most often. I have to constantly tell myself, simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to me how many folks are heading in this direction. We took our celebration down several notches this year to accommodate the needs of our family and I'm finding myself much less stressed. It's become more about seeing family and gathering with friends than shopping, decorating, decorating outside, stressing. More, also, about reflection on the season and the seasons of our lives.
ReplyDeleteHope your holiday is warm and wonderful!
Hah! And right after I posted that this Monday meditation arrived in my mailbox:
ReplyDeleteSpirit of winter rest, help us to enjoy your peace in this quiet place.
Remind us to pause during this season.
Grant us awareness, keep our gratitude fresh each day.
May the songs in our heart be blessings and insights to us and to others
and may compassion always shine forth from the depths of our hearts.
By Christine C. Robinson