'Tis Not Enough…

Dawn Day of the Heart

“‘Tis not enough that Christ was born
Beneath the star that shone,
And earth was set that holy morn
Within a golden zone.
He must be born within the heart
Before He finds a throne,
And brings the day of love and good,
The reign of Christlike brotherhood.”

:: Author Unknown ::

This poem comes from a lovely little collection of holiday poems called, “Poems for the Great Days.” There are over a dozen Christmas ones that the publisher included, and I have been enjoying them immensely. With my cup of coffee in hand, and the pages of my Bible open to the book of Luke, it has been a nice addition to my daily quiet time.

Being born. Such an interesting concept. My friend, Stephany, is a pediatrician in the local Kijabe hospital, and witnesses babies dying every single week. They are so small, weak, helpless. And, it’s just so sad to think that because of their parents’ poverty and health, their chances for survival are so slim.

It got me thinking – surely, it wasn’t just a spiritual or divine miracle that Christ was born into the world as a fulfillment of the prophesy, and God’s sovereign plan to save mankind from their sins. It was a physical miracle, too! Lowly, dirty manger; cold; dangerous trek for Mary and Joseph; germs and disease and bacteria; one could go on and on about the extreme physical conditions that Jesus was birthed into…

For Christ to be born in our hearts – now THIS indeed, is a miracle. I asked myself the question this morning, “Have I prepared room for Him in my heart this Christmas?” The heart can be so full, can it not? Emotions, desires, dreams, worries, frets, fears, memories, hopes…I know mine is this Christmas. It’s 10 days away from the 25th, and here I am in Kenya, and feeling rather lonely, I suppose. The campus is like a ghost town, and while it’s been so nice to have alone-time, and down-time by myself, the days seem to ebb out, and my thoughts flow…and all those desires and dreams have begun to weigh down in my heart. So, when I read this poem today, it was so encouraging for me to remember that Christ is waiting to fill His spot in my heart. He wants to come in. He LOVES being there. I just need to pray and invite Him to settle in and make Himself comfortable…let Him reign and rule and love and encourage and warm the cold places within, so that this Christmas, I can be FREE to love others and rest in His loving, providential Plan and goodness and faithfulness.

“Joy to the World, the Lord has COME. Let Earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare Him room, and heav’n and nature, sing! And, heav’n and nature, sing! And, heav’n and heav’n, and nature sing!”