Prepare your heart, not just your home (Luke 10:38-42)

Luke 10:41-42 The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.”

Life is so busy. No matter what your vocation, life is busy. No matter if you work outside of the home, inside the home, or mind the home, life is busy. Kids, no kids, grandkids, doesn’t matter. Life is busy. There is always something to do. Or so it seems. It is so easy to see myself in Martha’s spot, anxious about things to do, and not being able to sit down and delight in the Lord. Honestly, I don’t know if my house could be prepared enough for Jesus to enter it. But you know what, he probably doesn’t care if our house is prepared, but rather is our heart prepared. 

In Mass before we go up to receive communion, we say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” In Matthew chapter 8, the centurion said to Jesus that his home was not worth, but Jesus could say a word the man’s servant to be healed. We use the scripture to prepare our minds for receiving communions. We want our heart and souls to house Jesus, so we need to prepare it. We are fully aware that we are not worthy compared to God’s standards, but he only need say a word and our soul can be healed. 

With all the business of life, and serving others’ needs, we need to make sure we are taking the time to fill the need of our soul. We need to be able to be ready to put it all down and sit at Jesus feet and rest. Christmas is the celebration of his birth. When we ready ourselves for a baby’s birth, we prepare with baby showers, gathering things the baby and mom might need, preparing food for after delivery, taking time to prepare our minds for the new baby. Why should preparing for celebrating Jesus’s birth be any different? 

As Christmas approaches, use Advent as it truly is meant to be: a time to prepare. Begin by taking time daily to stop and sit at Jesus feet. Prepare for the feast of celebrating the birth of our savior, not just a holiday to spend with family and friends. Don’t overwhelm yourself in the parties and gift buying for others. Decoding your house is nice, but in that decorating, is it for yourself or the Lord? How are you decorating your heart? In that preparation, find rest so you can truly enjoy what the season is supposed to be about: the birth of our king.