1.131519 3.491519 Is God trustworthy?
3.491519 5.751519 Hi, I'm Sarah.
5.751519 7.591519 And I'm Mary Beth.
7.591519 9.971519 Join us as we seek to answer this question
9.971519 12.871519 through whole-hearted conversation.
12.871519 15.371519 Discover the wit and wisdom that comes
15.371519 18.971519 for being anchored in Christ and connected to one another.
18.971519 21.211519 This is trustworthy.
21.211519 23.791519 (gentle music)
23.791519 26.451519 (gentle music)
26.451519 37.911519 - Well, hello there, Mary Beth.
37.911519 40.831519 - Feliz Navidad.
40.831519 42.511519 - Season's greetings.
42.511519 43.891519 - Buon Natale.
43.891519 44.971519 - Joyeaux Noel.
44.971519 48.571519 - I don't know any other words.
48.571519 49.431519 - I don't know any other words.
49.431519 50.431519 (laughing)
50.431519 53.471519 - I feel like I should know Merry Christmas in German.
53.471519 56.511519 My husband just came back from a German Christmas market,
56.511519 58.591519 but I didn't understand how to say the words
58.591519 60.911519 that were on the things he brought home.
60.911519 63.271519 Anyway, it's Christmas time.
63.271519 65.331519 It is Christmas time.
65.331519 68.631519 We are midway through December at the point
68.631519 70.031519 that you're hearing this.
70.031519 74.111519 And hopefully listeners, you've been enjoying
74.111519 78.431519 not just the labors, but the fruits of the holiday season.
78.431519 82.991519 I am currently thinking about an article
82.991519 86.951519 that I found on the American Christmas Tree Association website,
86.951519 90.271519 an interview with Dr. Deborah Sarani,
90.271519 94.911519 how holiday decor boosts mental well-being.
94.911519 97.431519 - This is not a biased find at all.
97.431519 99.031519 - Not at all.
99.031519 101.511519 - 'Cause I'm looking for a boost to my mental well-being.
101.511519 102.351519 - That's right.
102.351519 103.111519 - To be clear, I am.
103.111519 103.951519 - Yeah.
103.951519 105.551519 - And especially this time of year,
105.551519 107.951519 things get overwhelming sometimes.
107.951519 111.351519 - So as a family who put up our Christmas trees
111.351519 114.191519 before Thanksgiving, what were your findings
114.191519 117.191519 from the American Christmas Tree Association?
117.191519 118.711519 - Okay.
118.711519 120.871519 To get the most out of the mental health benefits
120.871519 123.271519 of color in light this holiday season,
123.271519 126.271519 here is Dr. Sarani's tip.
126.271519 127.911519 Decorate early.
127.911519 131.471519 Start putting up your Christmas tree holiday lights
131.471519 133.311519 and a course sooner rather than later.
133.311519 136.391519 The anticipation and joy can lift your mood
136.391519 138.311519 as you prepare for the season.
139.271519 142.391519 - I concur, I also agree.
142.391519 145.271519 I'm feeling a little bit behind the times
145.271519 146.911519 as we are recording this,
146.911519 148.911519 but I do have some Christmas trees up.
148.911519 151.111519 - Just think of how delightful you will feel
151.111519 152.791519 when this episode airs.
152.791519 154.831519 And it's all up and you're enjoying it.
154.831519 156.551519 - Yes, exactly.
156.551519 160.111519 Are you going to be enjoying real Christmas trees
160.111519 161.751519 or artificial tree?
161.751519 164.151519 - I have been enjoying both so far,
164.151519 167.391519 but not real Christmas trees in my home.
167.391519 170.591519 We are doing a fundraiser this year
170.591519 171.751519 that we're helping out with,
171.751519 173.711519 and it is selling Christmas trees.
173.711519 177.071519 And I gotta tell ya, it is so much fun.
177.071519 178.111519 It is so much fun.
178.111519 180.711519 Everybody's happy when they come to pick out a Christmas tree.
180.711519 183.911519 And they're nice Christmas trees.
183.911519 185.871519 So, yeah.
185.871519 187.071519 - Everybody wins.
187.071519 188.271519 - Everybody wins.
188.271519 191.431519 It's a joy serving people when they're joyful.
191.431519 196.431519 - I was just gonna say I used to be 100% team real tree.
197.431519 201.031519 And then some allergies entered our household.
201.031519 203.871519 So we've made the switch to the artificial trees.
203.871519 207.991519 And I mean, I do miss the smell for sure of the real tree.
207.991519 211.111519 And I was having a conversation with one of my boys
211.111519 212.671519 the other day that they don't even realize
212.671519 214.231519 you have to water live Christmas trees.
214.231519 215.631519 You know, it's like the whole other thing.
215.631519 217.071519 - They've never even experienced that.
217.071519 219.551519 - In your house that you have to water the Christmas tree.
219.551519 223.111519 - But it's really convenient to be able to have a tree
223.111519 224.391519 up for a long time.
224.391519 226.431519 And it doesn't shed needles.
226.431519 227.471519 You can go out of town.
227.471519 228.711519 You don't have to worry about it.
228.711519 229.911519 - Yes.
229.911519 232.791519 There are also allergies in our house as well.
232.791519 234.991519 And I have had live Christmas trees in the past,
234.991519 239.631519 but more recently, I do the artificial tree.
239.631519 242.791519 And do you do get to leave it up longer?
242.791519 247.391519 I leave my Christmas decorations up until Elvis birthday.
247.391519 248.391519 - Elvis' birthday?
248.391519 249.631519 - Yeah, which is what it is.
249.631519 251.631519 It is January 8th.
251.631519 252.391519 - Okay.
252.391519 254.631519 And I, the reason, couple of reasons.
254.631519 257.871519 One is you have Epiphany, which is the 12 days
257.871519 260.151519 of Christmas starting at Christmas.
260.151519 262.351519 So you can have your Christmas tree up.
262.351519 264.231519 - Yeah we keep ours up through the 12 days of Christmas.
264.231519 267.071519 - One year my son asked if he could do the 12 days of Christmas.
267.071519 269.551519 So instead of opening all his gifts on Christmas day,
269.551519 271.831519 he asked if he could open one every day for 12 days.
271.831519 273.111519 It was really cool. - That was fun.
273.111519 274.431519 - Yeah.
274.431519 277.071519 And so I like to keep it up, and the reason why
277.071519 282.271519 is because I spend so much time getting ready
282.271519 287.271519 for Christmas and preparing and just the craziness,
287.271519 292.031519 I feel like I never get to just sit and enjoy.
292.031519 295.151519 So I call it my vacation.
295.151519 299.351519 It's like the first two weeks, January, depending
299.351519 300.911519 on when the frenzy stops.
300.911519 301.911519 Usually it's the first week.
301.911519 304.071519 Sometimes that goes into the second week.
304.071519 305.071519 That's my vacation.
305.071519 309.071519 And I sit in whichever room I feel most cozy,
309.071519 310.391519 which is usually my family room,
310.391519 312.231519 'cause there's a fireplace there.
312.231519 314.831519 And enjoy the decorations.
314.831519 318.551519 And I watch Christmas movies and it is so relaxing.
318.551519 320.551519 And that's my vacation.
320.551519 322.671519 And it get to enjoy all the hard work
322.671519 323.911519 and the decorations.
323.911519 325.511519 - Sounds delightful.
325.511519 328.871519 - I have since I was in first grade
328.871519 330.831519 been collecting Snow Village,
330.831519 334.511519 which is like one of the Christmas ceramic house villages.
334.511519 338.591519 So we put that up and we just count it as winter decor.
338.591519 342.711519 So it stays up at least until the end of January.
342.711519 344.591519 And so yeah, and it takes a long time
344.591519 346.951519 to set it all up and unpack it and all the things.
346.951519 349.511519 So we'd like to enjoy it for quite a while.
349.511519 351.071519 And the boys have really gotten into it too.
351.071519 353.551519 Setting up the scenes with the different little people
353.551519 354.551519 in there, you know?
354.551519 355.391519 - Absolutely.
355.391519 356.231519 - This year they're at this house
356.231519 357.751519 and the next year they're downtown shopping
357.751519 358.831519 and all the things that are represented.
358.831519 359.671519 - Oh, that's so fun.
359.671519 360.511519 - Yeah.
360.511519 361.871519 I love traditions like that.
361.871519 362.791519 - Yeah.
362.791519 365.391519 - We have some Playmobil Christmas sets
365.391519 368.711519 that we have the Nativity and some of the other toys
368.711519 372.351519 and it's pretty fun because I like to go in
372.351519 377.351519 and move the figurines to be doing different things.
377.351519 379.911519 Like a lot of people do Elf on the shelf.
379.911519 381.231519 I never did Elf on the shelf.
381.231519 382.071519 Did you?
382.071519 382.911519 - No.
382.911519 387.911519 - But I do funny things with some of the little Christmas figurines.
387.911519 388.751519 - Nice.
388.751519 389.751519 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
389.751519 390.591519 - It is fun.
390.591519 393.911519 And traditions that it's just fun to have.
393.911519 394.911519 When my son was little.
394.911519 397.111519 We did something called the Magic Box.
397.111519 400.871519 And so every morning there would be this small little box
400.871519 404.151519 and for a few years I would, it was PlayMobil.
404.151519 408.071519 These little figurines, the animals or, you know,
408.071519 409.991519 little people or whatever.
409.991519 413.191519 And he would come downstairs in the morning before school
413.191519 414.991519 and he would open this little wooden box
414.991519 416.871519 and there would be a gift inside
416.871519 418.911519 and it was always a little figurine.
418.911519 421.311519 And so I think probably one of the best years,
421.311519 422.511519 well, there were a couple good years.
422.511519 424.951519 But when you're, it was little animals.
424.951519 430.031519 And so each day all the animals that had already been received
430.031519 433.151519 would be doing different things in different poses,
433.151519 436.231519 like anticipating what was in the box or whatever.
436.231519 437.911519 And it was so much fun.
437.911519 441.471519 He just joked on my had a really good time.
441.471519 443.551519 - That was a very nice, that makes sense.
443.551519 444.711519 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
444.711519 445.551519 - That's fun.
445.551519 446.631519 But I mean, that's a lot of work.
446.631519 448.911519 And you can't always do that every year.
448.911519 450.751519 That might have been the COVID years.
450.751519 455.751519 You know, like everybody had way too much time on your hands.
455.751519 460.351519 Speaking of which, don't compare yourself to the past.
460.351519 464.791519 'Cause I find that I don't always have the capacity
464.791519 465.991519 that I used to have.
465.991519 470.391519 And so I have to lower, I don't know if it's lowering standards,
470.391519 473.031519 it's having different expectations, I think.
473.031519 478.031519 And expectations really play into this season a lot.
479.431519 481.031519 But I wanna keep this light hearted.
481.031519 483.991519 I feel like we're gonna already go into like this deep place,
483.991519 485.271519 which we normally do.
485.271519 488.511519 But I wanna have a light hearted conversation.
488.511519 491.831519 Are we allowed to put a pin in the expectations
491.831519 493.391519 and talk about something fun first?
493.391519 494.231519 - Yes.
494.231519 496.031519 - So then that way people can expect
496.031519 498.431519 that there's gonna be a deeper conversation
498.431519 500.071519 about expectations.
500.071519 503.511519 And then now we will have some fun.
503.511519 507.951519 - Okay, Sarah, I have a Christmas this or that.
507.951519 509.631519 - Ooh, a list. - All right.
509.631519 512.191519 - That I pulled from the purposeful family,
512.191519 513.991519 which I found on Etsy.
513.991519 516.951519 So, I will throw a few of these at you.
516.951519 518.551519 - Okay. - Rapid fire.
518.551519 522.111519 Gift wrap or gift bags?
522.111519 522.951519 - Wrap.
522.951519 527.151519 - Build a gingerbread house or make Christmas cookies.
527.151519 528.231519 - Make Christmas cookies.
528.231519 531.951519 - Christmas pajamas or Christmas sweater.
531.951519 537.391519 - Oh, I don't know.
537.391519 539.711519 - This year I didn't buy us Christmas pajamas.
539.711519 541.031519 I bought us Christmas sweaters.
541.031519 542.471519 - Oh, okay.
542.471519 543.671519 - That's how I'm gonna answer that.
543.671519 545.311519 - All right.
545.311519 548.431519 Hot cocoa or eggnog, cocoa.
548.431519 551.111519 And last one, ham or turkey.
551.111519 551.951519 - Ham.
551.951519 553.591519 - Okay.
553.591519 554.431519 - I like those.
554.431519 555.591519 We're pretty consistent on most of the things.
555.591519 556.591519 - Yeah, what was your,
556.591519 557.431519 what were your answers?
557.431519 560.111519 I would definitely say Christmas pajamas over sweaters.
560.111519 561.431519 - Okay.
561.431519 562.751519 As we talked about in a previous episode,
562.751519 565.391519 I'm trying to become more of a sweater person.
565.391519 568.791519 But with Christmas, I just go for the coziest possible.
568.791519 569.631519 - Yeah.
569.631519 570.471519 - Most comfortable.
570.471519 571.951519 - I just wanna be clear on one thing.
571.951519 573.431519 - You're very conflicted about this.
573.431519 574.271519 - I am.
574.271519 577.471519 So every year, I have purchased matching pajamas
577.471519 578.631519 for my family.
578.631519 581.471519 My son has not grown all of the ones being the he's
581.471519 582.911519 by middle school.
582.911519 584.431519 We have several sets.
584.431519 587.711519 And I decided this year that I was gonna skip
587.711519 591.591519 the pajamas and just go right for the sweaters.
591.591519 593.431519 - Well, there's only so many pairs of pajamas
593.431519 595.911519 and adult can need, right?
595.911519 598.111519 - Yes, and I may have Christmas pajamas
598.111519 599.231519 for every day of the week,
599.231519 601.271519 but I need to get rid of some.
601.271519 603.111519 Like it's kind of a problem.
603.111519 604.611519 - Yeah.
604.611519 606.671519 I put it into that last year,
606.671519 610.591519 including the parents and the Christmas pajamas tradition.
610.591519 615.151519 But then I think I went ahead and got someone's sale.
615.151519 618.031519 So this year, we really are not doing any more adult
618.031519 619.311519 Christmas pajamas.
619.311519 621.631519 - Just for the growing children,
621.631519 623.271519 we have plenty to wear.
623.271519 624.271519 - Here's an idea.
624.271519 626.031519 This is what I wish I would have done.
626.031519 631.911519 One year, by all the sizes for the kids.
631.911519 634.671519 - That's a good idea.
634.671519 636.151519 - So they can just grow into the same pajamas?
636.151519 637.791519 - Yes.
637.791519 640.071519 - Unless you like the variety of something different.
640.071519 643.031519 - So my husband and I have four or five pairs
643.031519 645.631519 of matching pajamas,
645.631519 649.471519 and my son doesn't have any that he can wear that match us.
649.471519 651.751519 - Does a middle schooler want to match you?
652.711519 657.711519 - No, but just like there are chores that you do
657.711519 659.791519 because you live in the house,
659.791519 661.511519 there are clothing items that you wear
661.511519 662.831519 because you're part of the family.
662.831519 663.991519 - Make your mama happy.
663.991519 664.831519 - That's right.
664.831519 668.671519 We just wore our Christmas sweaters the other day
668.671519 672.431519 to longwood gardens because my parents were here
672.431519 675.151519 and I had also gotten them sweaters,
675.151519 678.431519 and we thought, okay, let's go take a picture.
678.431519 681.911519 My son was not happy about the sweater,
681.911519 683.271519 but then as soon as he realized
683.271519 685.671519 that his grandparents were also wearing the sweater,
685.671519 687.471519 his attitude totally changed.
687.471519 691.151519 He was like, oh, okay, I didn't know everybody had them.
691.151519 693.031519 Now that I know you have them.
693.031519 694.311519 - Well, that's a sweet turnaround.
694.311519 696.511519 - It is a sweet turnaround.
696.511519 697.511519 I think it is.
697.511519 699.551519 - Did you take a picture in front of the big red truck?
699.551519 701.711519 - We took a picture in front of a tree.
701.711519 704.591519 We did a, well, not a smash and grab.
704.591519 705.951519 I hope you didn't do a smash and grab!
705.951519 708.711519 - What's the thing you do when you do it really quickly?
708.711519 710.471519 Hit it and get it, my dad says it.
710.471519 711.991519 - We were there for 40 minutes.
711.991519 715.911519 We went in, we walked quickly to the conservatory,
715.911519 717.711519 we took a picture in front of the tree,
717.711519 719.231519 and then we walked out.
719.231519 720.831519 - For those who are not locals,
720.831519 725.311519 longwood gardens is, unbeknownst to me before I moved here,
725.311519 728.391519 one of the most famous private gardens in the world,
728.391519 730.031519 probably, at least in our country.
730.031519 732.391519 And it was a former DuPont family estate,
732.391519 734.191519 and you can now go there and at Christmas,
734.191519 737.311519 they have an amazing light display.
737.311519 741.311519 - Yes, and if you live locally and you like it by a membership,
741.311519 744.471519 because it's an excellent value.
744.471519 746.951519 - Well, and that's one of the Christmas presents
746.951519 750.151519 we get every year from my parents is a longwood gardens,
750.151519 753.231519 annual membership, which is a great gift.
753.231519 754.151519 - It is a great gift.
754.151519 756.271519 That's what my husband and I got for each other this year.
756.271519 757.111519 - Nice.
757.111519 758.031519 - Yeah.
758.031519 760.911519 - Well, shall we talk about something serious now?
760.911519 763.751519 - I guess so, if we have to,
763.751519 767.431519 if we have to talk about something serious.
767.431519 772.231519 So, when we are expecting something,
772.231519 774.271519 sometimes we get disappointed.
774.271519 779.271519 Sometimes we spend too much energy expecting
779.271519 784.831519 that when the thing or the time actually comes,
784.831519 788.551519 we're drained and we can't even appreciate it.
789.471519 794.471519 And there is an opportunity in the frenzied busyness
794.471519 797.831519 of this season to reflect.
797.831519 800.791519 And my family does this.
800.791519 804.191519 We do an advent reading every day.
804.191519 808.071519 That is one tradition that we have had since the beginning.
808.071519 811.151519 And I have very much appreciated it.
811.151519 814.111519 We do it in the evening after dinner.
814.111519 819.111519 And typically, there will be some treats involved,
819.111519 823.031519 some small Christmas cookie or item.
823.031519 828.031519 And there's always a delicious chocolate advent calendar
828.031519 829.951519 available.
829.951519 833.111519 And we do the reading and we have the treat
833.111519 836.031519 and just at a time together.
836.031519 839.191519 And it's been a real joy and blessing,
839.191519 842.511519 I would say, to take that time.
842.511519 846.951519 What was it that you said about expectations
846.951519 849.271519 before we started recording?
849.271519 852.031519 - I, too, am doing an advent reading every day.
852.031519 854.911519 I'm actually doing a devotional book this year.
854.911519 857.951519 It's won by Ruth Chou Simons.
857.951519 859.871519 And it's called "Emmanuel."
859.871519 863.551519 An invitation to prepare him room at Christmas and always.
863.551519 866.951519 Shout out to Ruth Chou Simons.
866.951519 868.951519 I've never read her stuff before, but the book is beautiful.
868.951519 872.031519 She's an artist in addition to an author.
872.031519 875.391519 So, it's a very lovely visual book.
875.391519 877.991519 But what I was reading about this morning
877.991519 882.991519 on my advent reading day was that the posture of our heart
882.991519 890.111519 often dictates the posture of our physical body
890.111519 891.791519 and mind and responses to things.
891.791519 895.191519 And that, when Mary was visited by the angel,
895.191519 897.871519 was told she was gonna have Jesus.
897.871519 901.631519 Her immediate heart posture was to bow to the will
901.631519 904.151519 of the Lord and say, "If that's his will, that's great."
904.151519 907.111519 And so the message for us being,
907.111519 909.311519 we can go into seasons such as Christmas
909.311519 913.591519 with a lot of expectations, high hopes for things,
913.591519 916.471519 kind of with this attitude of fingers crossed.
916.471519 918.711519 I hope this all works out like I want it to.
918.711519 921.751519 Or I hope that this relationship plays out the way I want it to.
921.751519 923.671519 This person buys me what I want them to
923.671519 925.751519 and understands all my wants and needs.
925.751519 930.831519 But that those things, that that is not what the expectancy
930.831519 935.551519 of advent is, that the real expectation is that we have
935.551519 939.831519 a God who always keeps his promises
939.831519 943.671519 and that we can have an expectancy full of joy
943.671519 947.151519 because we know the outcome of his plan.
947.151519 951.111519 And specifically in this season that Christ the Savior
951.111519 951.871519 has come.
951.871519 955.591519 We don't have to worry about whether God's gonna keep
955.591519 956.431519 his promises.
956.431519 960.551519 We have the joy of knowing that things are gonna turn out well.
960.551519 962.871519 So then how do we prepare for that?
962.871519 963.711519 Yeah.
963.711519 968.711519 And that is more fun preparing for something you know
968.711519 969.991519 is gonna turn out well.
969.991519 973.671519 Things are gonna be amazing better than we expect.
973.671519 975.431519 That's a lot more fun to think about.
975.431519 977.591519 And less stressful than, oh my goodness,
977.591519 978.591519 what if this happens?
978.591519 980.191519 What if this doesn't happen?
980.191519 981.271519 Hmm.
981.271519 982.111519 And I like that.
982.111519 984.671519 And putting expectations on other people
984.671519 987.911519 that they may never be able to fulfill, right?
987.911519 992.911519 And instead expecting that God will fulfill his plans.
992.911519 996.111519 And that is what carries us through.
996.111519 999.631519 All his promises are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.
999.631519 1003.071519 So in the Advent season in particular,
1003.071519 1007.391519 Psalm 130 is a good reminder about waiting
1007.391519 1009.831519 during this season of Advent, but knowing what is to come.
1009.831519 1014.231519 So Psalm 130 verses five through eight, say,
1014.231519 1016.511519 "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits
1016.511519 1018.671519 and in his word I put my hope.
1018.671519 1021.791519 I wait for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning,
1021.791519 1024.271519 more than watchmen wait for the morning.
1024.271519 1025.911519 Israel put your hope in the Lord,
1025.911519 1027.991519 for with the Lord is unfailing love
1027.991519 1029.631519 and with him is full redemption.
1029.631519 1033.391519 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins."
1033.391519 1035.071519 Hmm.
1035.071519 1038.271519 If that is what is framing our heart posture
1038.271519 1040.591519 in a season of waiting and expectation,
1040.591519 1045.231519 I can already see how that would change.
1045.231519 1046.751519 Oh, I got to put away the Christmas boxes.
1046.751519 1048.951519 I got to finish all the buying of gifts.
1048.951519 1051.151519 I got to, did I get everything right?
1051.151519 1052.791519 I was just complaining yesterday to friends
1052.791519 1055.671519 about the myriad of things that are going on at school
1055.671519 1056.831519 in the next three weeks.
1056.831519 1057.671519 Oh, yes.
1057.671519 1058.511519 Work Christmas right.
1058.511519 1059.871519 The Christmas concerts.
1059.871519 1060.711519 It's insane.
1060.711519 1062.831519 There's spirit weeks and all the things.
1062.831519 1067.071519 And so if I'm changing my heart posture to,
1067.071519 1068.671519 you know what, put my hope in the Lord,
1068.671519 1070.911519 think about his unfailing love.
1070.911519 1075.471519 Let that be the outlook that shapes my waiting
1075.471519 1077.151519 and my expectations.
1077.151519 1082.511519 As we were discussing this episode and planning for it,
1082.511519 1085.111519 something had come to mind
1085.111519 1087.751519 that I had written three years ago
1087.751519 1091.271519 for the blog at Willowdale.
1091.271519 1093.951519 And like deja vu, I guess.
1093.951519 1095.791519 So I went back and I looked it up.
1096.911519 1102.511519 And I just had to laugh.
1102.511519 1106.351519 One of my favorite, I've probably said this before,
1106.351519 1109.231519 one of my favorite Christian authors, Paul David Tripp says,
1109.231519 1111.631519 let me never preach anything that I don't desperately need
1111.631519 1113.231519 to hear myself.
1113.231519 1116.751519 So apparently at this time, three years ago,
1116.751519 1119.111519 I needed to hear the exact same thing
1119.111519 1121.031519 that I need to hear right now.
1122.711519 1126.631519 So I will read a poem that I wrote
1126.631519 1129.271519 called Preparing Him Room.
1129.271519 1136.591519 I've been at it for a while now, this preparing.
1136.591519 1142.911519 Fixing and fussing and cleaning and rearranging,
1142.911519 1146.911519 trying to make my home perfect for Christmas,
1146.911519 1151.751519 for the guests that I cannot wait to welcome in.
1152.751519 1156.751519 Inside this season of anticipation
1156.751519 1160.751519 comes a quiet moment of reflection.
1160.751519 1166.751519 How am I preparing my heart?
1166.751519 1169.751519 Is there room for him?
1169.751519 1174.751519 I must prepare him room,
1174.751519 1177.751519 but how will I ever be ready?
1178.751519 1182.751519 And then I remember.
1182.751519 1187.751519 Our Messiah is no longer far off.
1187.751519 1192.751519 Our Emmanuel is already with us.
1192.751519 1196.751519 I open the door.
1196.751519 1199.751519 He enters.
1199.751519 1202.751519 He listens with love as I admit,
1202.751519 1206.751519 fixing and fussing and striving
1206.751519 1210.751519 to rearrange and prepare my heart.
1210.751519 1214.751519 And then he repairs my heart.
1214.751519 1219.751519 He adorns his spirit's home with beauty.
1219.751519 1224.751519 He bestows me with extravagant grace.
1224.751519 1227.751519 He prepares me.
1227.751519 1233.751519 That is timeless, Sarah.
1233.751519 1235.751519 Thank you for reading it.
1235.751519 1237.751519 And thank you for writing it.
1237.751519 1240.751519 I would like to thank myself for writing it.
1240.751519 1244.751519 We always want the message of this podcast
1244.751519 1248.751519 to speak to women
1248.751519 1250.751519 wherever they are in their lives right now.
1250.751519 1253.751519 And this message today really spoke to me.
1253.751519 1255.751519 And I'm a woman.
1255.751519 1256.751519 There you go.
1256.751519 1258.751519 So, one, it's a good Ebenezer for you to look back on
1258.751519 1260.751519 that God taught you in the past.
1260.751519 1262.751519 And sometimes we just need to be reminded of those things.
1262.751519 1264.751519 We need to be reminded.
1264.751519 1266.751519 As you were reading that,
1266.751519 1268.751519 I was thinking though that
1268.751519 1272.751519 the truth of what you wrote is not limited to Christmas season.
1272.751519 1273.751519 Right.
1273.751519 1276.751519 There's so many other things in our life
1276.751519 1279.751519 that we have expectations about.
1279.751519 1282.751519 Relationships.
1282.751519 1284.751519 Relationship dynamics.
1284.751519 1286.751519 We were chatting about just making it to church
1286.751519 1288.751519 on Sunday mornings.
1288.751519 1289.751519 Right.
1289.751519 1290.751519 We are chock full..
1290.751519 1294.751519 We have a lot of things going on.
1294.751519 1298.751519 But I believe that it is a spiritual battle to get through that door
1298.751519 1300.751519 on a Sunday morning.
1300.751519 1304.751519 And that our enemy will use any fiery arrow
1304.751519 1306.751519 he can to
1306.751519 1308.751519 keep us from walking in.
1308.751519 1312.751519 And make it very easy for us to not be there.
1312.751519 1313.751519 Yeah.
1313.751519 1315.751519 I've had conversations with people
1315.751519 1317.751519 in the past that say they get to the doors,
1317.751519 1318.751519 but it's late.
1318.751519 1319.751519 No.
1319.751519 1320.751519 Please no.
1320.751519 1322.751519 Come in any time.
1322.751519 1325.751519 Come in at the end when we're just singing.
1325.751519 1326.751519 Yeah.
1326.751519 1327.751519 Yeah.
1327.751519 1330.751519 Well, again, it's just like hearing this thing from these three years ago
1330.751519 1332.751519 that I know I need to hear.
1332.751519 1334.751519 As Christians, we know we need community.
1334.751519 1336.751519 We just spent some time talking about that.
1336.751519 1341.751519 We know we need to be together with other people worshiping God.
1341.751519 1343.751519 Getting fed.
1343.751519 1345.751519 Hearing the message.
1345.751519 1347.751519 And that it's so good for us.
1347.751519 1350.751519 And so, of course,
1350.751519 1354.751519 of course, evil will conspire to keep us from that.
1354.751519 1361.751519 And in a time when it's very easy to listen to sermons online
1361.751519 1364.751519 or do your own study,
1364.751519 1366.751519 which those are not bad things.
1366.751519 1367.751519 Yeah.
1367.751519 1370.751519 I do all of those things from time to time.
1370.751519 1374.751519 But if we are neglecting that corporate worship,
1374.751519 1377.751519 we are missing out on God's best for us.
1377.751519 1381.751519 And so, that is how the enemy will...
1381.751519 1384.751519 Another opportunity for him to feed us lies that,
1384.751519 1386.751519 "Well, you can just listen to something online.
1386.751519 1388.751519 You don't have to go be with other Christians."
1388.751519 1391.751519 Or, "It's raining.
1391.751519 1392.751519 It's snowing.
1392.751519 1393.751519 It's whatever.
1393.751519 1395.751519 Whatever, fill in the blank excuses."
1395.751519 1396.751519 We're not going to do it.
1396.751519 1398.751519 Or the children are being difficult.
1398.751519 1402.751519 And is it really worth a fight to get them in the car to go to church?
1402.751519 1405.751519 All these things can pop up.
1405.751519 1411.751519 And there is grace there for anyone who
1411.751519 1413.751519 just get your phone in the door.
1413.751519 1414.751519 I just show up.
1414.751519 1416.751519 We're happy to see you.
1416.751519 1417.751519 Yeah.
1417.751519 1419.751519 And this is for myself as well.
1419.751519 1424.751519 Even as a young adult, regardless of what I had been doing Saturday night,
1424.751519 1428.751519 I went in the door, even if I was embarrassed.
1428.751519 1433.751519 I was late if I was not in the right frame of mind to be in church.
1433.751519 1436.751519 And it wasn't every Sunday, but like the Sundays I did,
1436.751519 1437.751519 I purposed to go.
1437.751519 1438.751519 I just did.
1438.751519 1441.751519 And there was always a blessing there.
1441.751519 1444.751519 There's always a joy of being with other believers.
1444.751519 1451.751519 And sometimes, I mean, I can remember many Sundays growing up or as an adult,
1451.751519 1454.751519 where I did show up with not the best attitude.
1454.751519 1456.751519 And the sermon didn't seem relevant.
1456.751519 1460.751519 And I kind of just soaked out afterward.
1460.751519 1467.751519 But even in those building blocks of the discipline and the faithfulness and all those things,
1467.751519 1469.751519 that has value too.
1469.751519 1471.751519 And I don't want this to sound legalistic.
1471.751519 1474.751519 "The most important thing is to go to church every Sunday."
1474.751519 1482.751519 But it is creating a pattern in your life that your expectations
1482.751519 1484.751519 might not meet reality of what church is going to look like.
1484.751519 1486.751519 What your community is going to look like.
1486.751519 1490.751519 What Sunday morning wrangling your kids into the car is going to look like.
1490.751519 1493.751519 But that there is a lot of value there.
1493.751519 1496.751519 And that there's grace on one side.
1496.751519 1501.751519 But then we were talking about the other, like the flip side of it is the preparation side.
1501.751519 1502.751519 Yes.
1502.751519 1507.751519 How do we prepare for something like getting to church on a Sunday morning?
1507.751519 1509.751519 And we prepare for that.
1509.751519 1510.751519 Or for a Christmas dinner.
1510.751519 1511.751519 Yeah.
1511.751519 1514.751519 Or getting your Christmas cards mailed out.
1514.751519 1516.751519 I mean, New Year's is okay too.
1516.751519 1518.751519 How many of us started ours?
1518.751519 1525.751519 The first thing is understanding what is the scripture says our battle is not with flesh,
1525.751519 1527.751519 but with the principalities and the powers.
1527.751519 1536.751519 And so I think recognizing that there's more going on that we can't see is important
1536.751519 1544.751519 because on the surface, if it's just your child being difficult, or it's just the coffee pot not working right.
1544.751519 1546.751519 Or the tire being flat.
1546.751519 1547.751519 The tire being flat.
1547.751519 1551.751519 All these things can be, oh, these are the reasons why.
1551.751519 1556.751519 But again, to take that step back and look at that bigger picture.
1556.751519 1557.751519 Okay.
1557.751519 1562.751519 I am going to church because I need that for my spiritual life.
1562.751519 1565.751519 God has told me that it is good for me.
1565.751519 1567.751519 I know that it is good for me.
1567.751519 1573.751519 This is the story of what needs to happen down through the years.
1573.751519 1584.751519 So if I have a flat tire and I need to repair it or call triple A or drive a different car or get a ride from a neighbor or whatever it is,
1584.751519 1587.751519 however you get to church, that might make us late.
1587.751519 1591.751519 But we overcame that and got to church.
1591.751519 1597.751519 And just like preparing for Christmas dinner, there could be many things that could go wrong.
1597.751519 1603.751519 But in the end, it is a time of joy and celebration with family and friends.
1603.751519 1616.751519 And we are celebrating the greatest gift that has ever been given or received in the history of the world.
1616.751519 1619.751519 And we sometimes forget that.
1619.751519 1621.751519 Why do we give gifts at Christmas?
1621.751519 1625.751519 Because God gave us the biggest gift.
1625.751519 1636.751519 All of our gift giving is just a natural outpouring of the boundless grace and love that we've experienced.
1636.751519 1642.751519 And sometimes things don't always turn out the way we think or we don't get the person the right gift.
1642.751519 1648.751519 But let's go back to the beginning as we receive and as we give this season.
1648.751519 1654.751519 There's a reason why we're doing it is because we're celebrating the gift.
1654.751519 1658.751519 And we care about the person.
1658.751519 1660.751519 I think that's the most important thing.
1660.751519 1666.751519 I am always blessed to receive a gift regardless of whether it's something that I need, want, use.
1666.751519 1679.751519 It doesn't matter to me. I'm really touched by the fact that the person thought about me and wanted to give me something.
1679.751519 1690.751519 We talk sometimes at least in Christian circles about creating margin in your life so that there is kind of room for the unexpected.
1690.751519 1703.751519 And when things don't go according to plan, advent is a perfect example of that of getting in this mentality of preparing and waiting and anticipating what is to come.
1703.751519 1709.751519 And there are practical applications we can carry from that season throughout the rest of the year.
1709.751519 1725.751519 It might be I need to get up earlier on Sunday mornings to make sure everybody's ready to go on time. I might need to have my children pick their clothes out the night before I might need to pray before I go to bed for the next morning.
1725.751519 1726.751519 That's a good one.
1726.751519 1737.751519 There are all these things we can do to prepare to leave ourselves some margin when we know we're going to be anticipating something that will be coming against us.
1737.751519 1744.751519 And so just like you're saying at Christmas with the gifts, a lot of times the expectation is I'm going to get exactly what I want.
1744.751519 1754.751519 And maybe we change that into I'm going to leave some margin for whatever gift I may or may not receive.
1754.751519 1758.751519 Am I loved? Who's fulfilling that? Yes, that can be found in Christ.
1758.751519 1766.751519 What gifts have I been given? Look around. We just came out of Thanksgiving. How can we be grateful and have some gratitude and look like real gifts are great.
1766.751519 1770.751519 We do it every Christmas. It's a fun way to love each other well.
1770.751519 1783.751519 But like you're saying, it all points back to what is that gift that we are celebrating this season and how can we live expectantly not just the Christmas but in the day to day.
1783.751519 1800.751519 But in the day to day, yeah, and to take it one step further, when we receive a gift, this Christmas, truly we're receiving that from the hand of God.
1800.751519 1807.751519 It is through his provision that we're receiving this expectations.
1807.751519 1814.751519 We can have this perfect picture in our mind of how things are going to go, how things are going to be.
1814.751519 1820.751519 Even this quiet time that we might get to have with our family at Advent, all of this.
1820.751519 1827.751519 Sometimes it's really helpful to throw out the expectations.
1827.751519 1838.751519 And I know that doesn't make any sense because we're just talking about Advent and preparing. But it doesn't always have to look the way that we think it should.
1838.751519 1845.751519 In fact, I think we can pretty much say that nothing is ever going to look the way we think it should.
1845.751519 1857.751519 There's a Christmas song that I like that I was thinking about as we were preparing this. It's called a house with love in it by Nat King Cole and we'll link to it here.
1857.751519 1866.751519 But he's talking about how this is just a regular house and the carpet may be old, right.
1866.751519 1874.751519 And things might be worn, but a house with love in it is the most important thing.
1874.751519 1895.751519 So as we're preparing our hearts and our homes, this Christmas, are we focusing on the love that is filling those spaces or are we focusing on the appearance and how things look to the outside world to other people.
1895.751519 1910.751519 I feel a little bit conflicted here because we did talk about how it was important to have holiday decor for our mental health, all the extra lights around are very good for us.
1910.751519 1915.751519 I think like a lot of things. It's your attitude and your heart posture about it.
1915.751519 1928.751519 You're doing it because you feel this expectation that your house should look perfect and festive and all the things or you're doing it to really celebrate the season and doing it with joy.
1928.751519 1939.751519 Good things can go one way or the other depending on our thoughts about them or attitude about them, which I think is what we're trying to get at here in this episode.
1939.751519 1949.751519 Let every heart prepare him room. That's right. And most importantly, are you getting a real tree or a fake tree?
1949.751519 1954.751519 If you're like 84% of America. You will have an artificial Christmas tree.
1954.751519 1963.751519 Wow, that's a pretty high number. Merry Christmas, everybody. Happy Advent.
1963.751519 1992.751519 Hey, y'all. Marybeth here. Sarah and I are so glad that you chose to listen to our podcast. And while we think that we're awesome friends to have, we just wanted to clarify that we are not mental health professionals and want you to know that this podcast should not take the place of any paid professional advice.
1992.751519 1993.591519 additional advice.