As I looked at the calendar, I could not believe my eyes, next week was Christmas. Where did the month go? I did not feel like I was prepared to celebrate Christ’s birth. Yes, I had all the packages wrapped and everything on my to-do list almost complete, but the real reason we celebrated, Christ’s birth, I wasn’t ready for. Can you relate to this? We can do all the ‘things’, have all the gifts wrapped, and even be busy serving the Lord as we volunteer at church and with other opportunities. Still, if we are not purposefully taking the time to prepare our hearts for our Savior’s birth, we miss what’s really important.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to His beloved sleep.” Psalm 127:1-2

In these verses, Solomon reminds the Israelites that, even as they were building the house of the Lord, they were relying on their own strength and doing it for their own gain and praise, not God’s. Instead of surrendering this enormous task to the Lord, they were becoming anxious. We can have all the good intentions, but when we are not doing it with motives to glorify God instead of ourselves, and rely on His strength and not our own, our intentions are just like those filthy rags Isaiah describes in 64:6, polluted. As we toil away at all the preparations to celebrate Christmas, and don’t take the time to spend with Jesus, we miss the point of Christmas.

Jesus had two friends that I know many of us can relate to. We find their story in Luke 10:38-42. Martha had invited Jesus to come to her home. As she busied herself to be the perfect hostess, she became very irritated with her sister Mary, who, instead of helping, had decided to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to his teaching. Martha storms out of the kitchen (my interpretation) and asks Jesus, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone. Tell her then to help me.” Jesus answers, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

I can imagine this scene playing out in my head, because I know I have been Martha. She begins to throw a pity party, trying to get Jesus on her side, and He is so patient with her as He reproaches her. While yes, they all needed to eat, it didn’t have to be anything fancy or perfect. Jesus lovingly instructs her that Mary made the right choice. She chose Jesus. As we prepare for Christmas, there is nothing wrong with decorating, buying gifts, and baking. But when we take our eyes off Jesus to focus on the temporal and not on the real reason we celebrate Christmas, we miss out on the greatest gift of all: Jesus.

As we are preparing to celebrate Christmas, may this year be different. I pray we are all more purposeful in celebrating our King and Savior’s birth than in celebrating the things.

Are you more like Martha or Mary? Share in the comments what you struggle with during Christmas. Please share this post with friends to encourage them as Christmas approaches. When we share our burdens, we can encourage others. I am definitely more like Martha. I tend to focus more on the preparations than the purpose. This was also an excellent reminder for me as I wrote it.