This weekend my husband and I got out our Christmas tree and started decorating our house. We immensely enjoy decorating for Christmas every year and absolutely love the Christmas season. However, this year has an added excitement as this will be our first Christmas in our new home and our last Christmas with just the two of us, as we are expecting our first baby in June.
I ran out of steam a little earlier this year and didn’t quite get all the decorations in place. Taking in the soft glow of the lights on our Christmas tree, I plopped down on the couch and started thanking God for this time of year and season in our lives. Although I’ve heard it time and time again, I think there is truth in people saying this time of year brings hope and expectation. Sometimes this hope is for gift giving or gift receiving and expectation may be for the familiar time with family and friends or looking forward to a break from school or work.
My hopes and expectations during Christmas have shifted throughout my life. But this particular year, I’ve gotten hung up on the idea of expecting and expectation since my husband and I are “expecting” for the first time.
I realized, when we are expecting something, we prepare. I’m only 13 weeks along this week and already wondering what kind of crib and carseat do we buy? What will we really use and what will be deemed useless clutter within the first year? How will we set up the baby’s room? WHEN will we start setting up the baby’s room?
This type of expectation seems normal when preparing for a major life event, but it made me realize how little I do to prepare my heart for Jesus during the season we CELEBRATE HIS BIRTH. I’ve often looked forward to time off work or school or the mindless motions of tradition of being with family, eating a meal, and opening presents. I hold these traditions dear to me as I absolutely love my family and friends, and I love any opportunity to bless others! (I mean for real though. Gift giving, especially to children, is so much fun! They act like they’ve won the lottery with every present they open. I love it!) However, I have trouble having tradition and expectation coexist in my heart. Traditions make me feel warm, fuzzy, and safe but expectation requires I be wide awake and in tune to the Holy Spirit, ready for anything. Expectation takes spiritual preparation, tradition does not.
This is not at all to shame tradition. As I mentioned, I cherish my Christmas traditions, but just as preparing for a new family member takes intention, so does expectation for what God is going to do next. Just as we need to clear out our second bedroom and make room for a nursery, we need to take time during this busy season to clear out our hearts and make room for something new and unexpected. I do believe God is always in the business of doing a new thing, and it can be in our best interest to expectantly expect the unexpected.
So, this Christmas I am challenging myself to take in our family traditions, to enjoy the familiar faces, decorations, (and cookies!) but not get lost in the busy motions and forget to prepare my heart in expectation for what my Savior King has next.