Open-Heart Christmas

With Christmas only days away, are you feeling distant and depleted?
Re-write your story. Begin with today.
I have the remarkable opportunity of spending time with a group of teenage girls who gather together for Bible study. One day, out-of-the-blue, one of my young friends dramatically and energetically proclaimed, “My life is full of inserts!”
Startled, we all looked at her absolutely confused.
“Open mouth. Insert retainer. Open shoes. Insert special insoles.”
“Oh!” I interjected and looked her in the eye. “Open heart . . .”
She grinned. “Open heart. Insert Jesus!”
“Amen, girlfriend!”
So . . .
The question for us today, no matter the degree of our worn and weary soul . . .
How. When. Where.
Will you insert Jesus into your heart TODAY?
The options and possibilities are endless.

  • Kneel tonight when you pray.
  • Say no to something trivial.
  • Say yes to something important.
  • Sing a love song.
  • Go to bed early.
  • Hold hands with someone you love.
  • Read each Christmas card as a love note from Jesus.

Ask Jesus to lead the way.
He comes to open hearts. Broken hearts. Hungry hearts.
To your heart and mine.
Beginning today, make it an open-heart Christmas.

First time here?

4 thoughts on “Open-Heart Christmas”

  1. Oh thank you! Just what I need to hear!  Mine is a grieving heart. So, open heart to Jesus… Give him my grief. He promises to heal, even where regret has cut deep. Thank you!

    Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

    Reply
    • Hi —

      God moves at all times, and some of these Christmas devos are written weeks or months before December arrives.
      God knew I needed this one, this week, too.
      Grief was not at the forefront of my life when December began, but some very painful new realities are mingling with some on-going grief work.
      Jesus and I have a date this Friday. I need some extra time with him. It’s only going to be a couple hours, but my broken, open heart is ready and waiting for his arrival in a fresh way for every tear and heartache.
      Thanks for sharing.
      Lifting up a prayer for you right now.

      Brenda

      Reply
  2. Christmas has always been a disappointment for me. I never wanted the “stuff”. What I wanted was time with my family. Time where I knew I was important to someone. They showed me my worth through presents, and I’m not knocking gifts, but I wanted to know I was love, I was wanted. But going outside and riding bikes together, playing football, baseball, basketball with family would have meant the world to me. One day it will be different. For now, I breathe, and love, and keep on seeing, smiling, acknowledging others.

    Reply
    • Betty, Christmas is full of so many vying emotions, joys, disappointments.
      It’s often the “messy middle” of life.
      Jesus came.
      He’s coming back.
      And we live, eyes on Him, in the messy middle.
      May we hear the angels sing!

      Reply

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