Every day during this holiday season I find myself saying, “December 11th? How is that even possible?!” This year has flown by and I’m not sure I’m ready for it to end. I want time to slow down, but I know that isn’t the way it works. We have to be the ones to slow down.

When we did the Advent Series on the blog last year, we used “preparation” as the second week’s theme. It’s an interesting term, because it brings to my mind so much doing. Preparing involves planning, setting up, cleaning, organizing, inviting, and much more. Preparing for Christmas basically means busyness. We never stop. We never slow down.

My Mom titled her post last year “Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room.” It’s exactly what I have been trying to focus on recently – making room. “Preparing” our hearts means actually ridding our lives of the clutter and mess we tend to live in. It doesn’t mean doing, doing, doing; it’s exactly the opposite.

To prepare our hearts for our King requires putting down the phone, turning off the noise, seeking stillness and being simply present. Preparation = presence. It is a preparation of our hearts, rather than our homes.

We will never be ready for His coming unless we have created space. Does your life have room for Jesus? If He came to you today, would you respond the same way the innkeeper did? There’s no room for you here. 

I’m afraid that most days my heart and head are too full of all kinds of other things, that there is no room for Him. I’m so concerned with what people think, what impact I’m making, how I can relax, what I need to cross off my to-do list, and what I’m going to eat for dinner that I leave no room for His peace, JOY, love, and Presence in my life.

I’m writing this as a reminder for myself, and maybe it resonates with some of you; this season just gets so overwhelmingly busy, and we’re straggling towards the finish line of the year, but we need to remember to slow down. We need to simplify. We need to declutter. Don’t let it all pass you by without creating room for Him. Be willing to sacrifice other things so that there is room for Him. It’s obviously worth it.

Make space for Him this week. Block off time in your planner if you have to (I probably should) – just create room. Give your soul a chance to breathe, a chance to say yes, Lord, there is room here. You can stay here with me.