‘Twas the Week Before Christmas…
Well, here we are again…one week before Christmas Eve…in the throngs of chaos and deadlines! The Nativity is center stage in every room, trees are dressed, the wreaths are hung, gifts are wrapped, the oven has not been turned off in days and music fills the house. Friends and family are arriving from distant places, guest rooms have been readied and excitement is already in the air. Expectations are high and time left is short and slipping precipitously by the nanoseconds. The countdown has begun! The blessing of fellowshipping with family and people we don’t have an opportunity to see all year makes it worth it all.
With the hustle and bustle of the holidays in full swing, we become acutely aware of our limitations. Opening our home and believing God to use us to make others successful is the goal of hospitality. It has been our joy over the years to have a home that is available to those God would bring our way. Christmas is a lonely time for many who have not experienced the joy of His Coming.
As moms, this time of year offers a multitude of opportunities to make ourselves accessible to others. It starts in our homes with our husband and children. The Christmas time of year offers the perfect training ground to introduce our children to the “real reason for the season”. We, as parents, have the example of the One who left his home and dwelt among us. He set the standard…
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ:
Who being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God to be something to be grasped,
But made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death
Even death on the cross”!
Philippians 2: 4-8
An open home means a heart that is wrapped in the needs of others before our own. It is that life in opposition to comfort and convenience. It is welcoming and finding joy in a life of servitude, humbly listening to His voice and instantly obeying. It brings with it the blessing of experiencing His promise of grace with its power and the continual fascination of watching Him faithfully do it! Philippians 2:13 and I Thessalonians 5: 24
The dictionary defines hospitality as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of visitors or strangers providing food, drinks, etc. for people who are guests. We are commanded in Scripture to be hospital women. To invite people into our homes is to respond with gratitude to our God who made a home for us!
“Be hospitable to one another without complaint”. I Peter 4: 9
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it”! Hebrews 13: 2
At our front door, we have the words “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” As a mom with young children it was a challenge to keep it all in balance when the house was already full of noise, continual movement and the regular activities that keep the ship afloat! The joy of youth is that there actually is enough energy to do it all, if the attitude is that of an obedient and humble servant!
From our house to yours,
Have a Blessed Christmas!
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
