Submitted by Lara
Cook
For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also. Luke 12:34
A Special Place
Right inside the front door of my house I have an antique
washstand where every year at Christmas I set up my Nativity sets. I have a big one that only has a few key
pieces left, and then I have a couple of small ones. Of course, this is also the place where we
come in and drop our keys and everything else we have in our hands. As I was leaving the house one morning, I
noticed that the Baby Jesus in His manger and all of His adoring audience had
been shoved in many different directions and the Nativity scene was in
disarray. I stopped and thought about
how this seemed so disrespectful to Jesus and for this symbol of His coming,
His gift, His life, to be shoved out of the way. But Christmas was over. When the season began and I first set the
Nativity out, it was so special and added to the meaning and warmth of the
season. Maybe we are treating that
Nativity just a little less special now that it’s a new year and time to put
Christmas up and move on. After all, the
past month has been all about Jesus and His birth and it’s over now, right?
How often do we have that attitude about Jesus in our
hearts? Do we tend to shove Jesus to the
side when He gets in the way? When we
get too busy? What about when we get
involved in something that is not honoring to Him? Do we clear Him off the
table of our heart to make room for all our other “stuff”? My challenge to myself and to you for this
New Year is to keep Jesus in the special place He deserves in our heart, in our
relationships, in our family, in our schools, and in our work. Don’t let anything come into your life that
would cause you to shove Him to the side.
He deserves to be the center of attention in our lives year round, not
just in December.
Scripture to Claim:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
