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"Just a Carpenter"
The Advent of Christmas starts on December 1st and goes through December 24th. It is a daily reminder during the month of December that we need to prepare for the coming of baby Jesus on December 25th. It is a constant acknowledgment of thought, words, and actions that there is a big event about to take place and that we need to be ready for it!
Christmas is a big event. It is the most celebrated holiday in the world. In the United States alone, 75% of all Americans celebrate Christmas, which is around 94 million households across the USA!
And with such a celebrated event comes a lot of planning and preparation. I start early with my lists of things to do. This year we even made a calendar of events and put it on the refrigerator as a constant reminder to prepare in advance for each one. Having that visual to look ahead and see the upcoming events helps me to make sure I am ready with the gifts, a food dish to bring, and my “ugly” Christmas sweater.
It is amazing how time consuming this all becomes. I have noticed that preparations for Christmas seem to start earlier and earlier each year. I went to Costco at Halloween and they had Christmas stuff up. I remember when it was sacrilegious to advertise for Christmas before Thanksgiving! Now it is the norm.
(I think some of this is because as Christmas continues to become more commercialized the true reason for the season is sidelined a bit. But never mind, I love all the planning and festivities regardless of what the marketing worlds agenda is!)
However, Advent was really never supposed to be about the decorating, parties, and shopping. Advent was meant as a reminder to prepare our hearts for Jesus arrival, both the celebration of His birth at Christmas, and looking forward to His second coming in the future!
So what then do I need to do to get ready for that? How do I prepare my heart during Advent for these events?
For me, a good place to start getting my heart right is by straightening out my priorities.
Several years ago I attended a breakfast meeting where a Christian speaker addressed the group. He said, “What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning, before your feet hit the floor?”
I didn’t even have to mull that question over. I knew my answer immediately. “ My Job”!
During those years I was married to my job. I found my self-worth in my career. I was consumed with my job and it consumed me.
No sooner had the answer come to my mind, when the speaker said…”then that is your god.”
(Yikes! I wish I would have taken a little more time to think about that question so I could be a little more proud of the answer I had given.)
The speaker then went on to explain that whatever consumes your thoughts, that is the thing that is taking up the majority of your time and therefore you are fixated upon it. You have put that at the center of your life and it is your #1 priority. And, whatever is your #1 priority, is your god. (Little “g” intended.)
At that time I was all consumed with my job and climbing the corporate ladder. So that was the first thing I thought about when I woke up, and the last thing I thought about when I went to sleep.
Over the years I have had other "gods" too. At times, my marriage has been a god. My family, relationships, and even vices like alcohol have been a god in my life at one time or another. Anything that takes precedent in my life and thought process over “the God", (Jesus), is a god.
That is not to say that there aren’t times in our lives where we need to have a special focus on someone or something because there is a sense of urgency and it requires our attention for a period of time. But what the speaker was saying is that if God is not the first thing you think about in the morning while you slumber in bed, before your feet hit the floor, then your relationship with Jesus is not a priority.
So # 1 – get my priorities straightened out.
The next thing that I need to work on to prepare my heart during Advent is letting go of pride.
As I mentioned, I used to be very into my career. My job was my identity. When I started climbing the corporate ladder I told myself that if I can just get to a point where I am making the decisions, I can provide a wonderful place for people to work, give them the pay and the benefits they deserve, and make it a family atmosphere where they were appreciated.
Now these ideas in and of themselves were wonderful. However, as I started to climb that ladder, I became very prideful, entitled, still telling myself I was doing things under the guise of making the workplace a better place for others, meanwhile I was building myself up with money and power.
Pride is like that…It lies in wait. You have a good idea, and it waits patiently while you start achieving some goals or overcoming milestones, and little by little it works it’s way into your heart, where justification of actions begin to set in. I did some good things during those years, but I also did some things that I am definitely not proud of.
As my pride grew, it got out of control to where I lost sight of the real Janie and what was truly important. I was driven and got so deep into it that I started getting sick all the time. The stress had become unmanageable. I had even made some business trips and landed 2 times in the hospital due to exhaustion.
It became clear that I needed to make a change and so based on how sick I was all the time and some other extenuating circumstances within the company, I decided I needed to quit. I had allowed my pride to take over and it was literally killing me.
After I left my corporate job and started to physically get back on my feet, I contemplated, “what was I going to do next?” I was so used to the lure of corporate life and the “perks” that came with it, mainly how it fed my pride, that I was already looking for the next BIG thing.
During the previous 5 years or so my husband had started a small landscaping company that he ran out of our home. So each day as I sat contemplating what was next for me, I watched as my husbands employees would show up for work, lode the equipment in their trucks, and head out for a day of landscaping maintenance.
I was so full of myself at the time; that as I sat contemplating my next move, while watching the landscaping crews leave, I said to God, “really! lawn mowing. That is what these guys do? That is what you have called my husband to? A lawn mowing business?”
On the scale of things in my mind, lawn mowing for a career was at the bottom of the food chain. In my arrogance and pride I said to God, “Really, lawn mowing?” And without a moments pause I heard God reply, “Well, I was just a carpenter.”
Oh my goodness! I could not believe the words I had just heard. They cut like a knife, and seared my soul. And in that moment I realized for the first time how prideful I had been. I asked for forgiveness that morning. And since that time have done my best that whenever I start to think "I am all that"; I remember that the King of kings, and Lord of lords, was just a carpenter. And, if He could associate Himself with the humble in work and low in spirit, then so should I.
So, #2 – lose the pride!
There are many other things to do to prepare our hearts during Advent for Jesus birth and second coming. I have listed just a couple, but they are a very good start. Because, if our priorities are in the right order with God as #1, then God will be continually on the throne of our lives. And if God is on the throne of our lives there is no room for pride. The rest of our heart changes will come as we keep humbled before Him.
So this Christmas season as you plan for upcoming festivities and the Christmas celebration, be sure to carve out some time to focus on the true reason for Advent - preparing your heart for… “the Carpenter”.
Christmas is a big event. It is the most celebrated holiday in the world. In the United States alone, 75% of all Americans celebrate Christmas, which is around 94 million households across the USA!
And with such a celebrated event comes a lot of planning and preparation. I start early with my lists of things to do. This year we even made a calendar of events and put it on the refrigerator as a constant reminder to prepare in advance for each one. Having that visual to look ahead and see the upcoming events helps me to make sure I am ready with the gifts, a food dish to bring, and my “ugly” Christmas sweater.
It is amazing how time consuming this all becomes. I have noticed that preparations for Christmas seem to start earlier and earlier each year. I went to Costco at Halloween and they had Christmas stuff up. I remember when it was sacrilegious to advertise for Christmas before Thanksgiving! Now it is the norm.
(I think some of this is because as Christmas continues to become more commercialized the true reason for the season is sidelined a bit. But never mind, I love all the planning and festivities regardless of what the marketing worlds agenda is!)
However, Advent was really never supposed to be about the decorating, parties, and shopping. Advent was meant as a reminder to prepare our hearts for Jesus arrival, both the celebration of His birth at Christmas, and looking forward to His second coming in the future!
So what then do I need to do to get ready for that? How do I prepare my heart during Advent for these events?
For me, a good place to start getting my heart right is by straightening out my priorities.
Several years ago I attended a breakfast meeting where a Christian speaker addressed the group. He said, “What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning, before your feet hit the floor?”
I didn’t even have to mull that question over. I knew my answer immediately. “ My Job”!
During those years I was married to my job. I found my self-worth in my career. I was consumed with my job and it consumed me.
No sooner had the answer come to my mind, when the speaker said…”then that is your god.”
(Yikes! I wish I would have taken a little more time to think about that question so I could be a little more proud of the answer I had given.)
The speaker then went on to explain that whatever consumes your thoughts, that is the thing that is taking up the majority of your time and therefore you are fixated upon it. You have put that at the center of your life and it is your #1 priority. And, whatever is your #1 priority, is your god. (Little “g” intended.)
At that time I was all consumed with my job and climbing the corporate ladder. So that was the first thing I thought about when I woke up, and the last thing I thought about when I went to sleep.
Over the years I have had other "gods" too. At times, my marriage has been a god. My family, relationships, and even vices like alcohol have been a god in my life at one time or another. Anything that takes precedent in my life and thought process over “the God", (Jesus), is a god.
That is not to say that there aren’t times in our lives where we need to have a special focus on someone or something because there is a sense of urgency and it requires our attention for a period of time. But what the speaker was saying is that if God is not the first thing you think about in the morning while you slumber in bed, before your feet hit the floor, then your relationship with Jesus is not a priority.
So # 1 – get my priorities straightened out.
The next thing that I need to work on to prepare my heart during Advent is letting go of pride.
As I mentioned, I used to be very into my career. My job was my identity. When I started climbing the corporate ladder I told myself that if I can just get to a point where I am making the decisions, I can provide a wonderful place for people to work, give them the pay and the benefits they deserve, and make it a family atmosphere where they were appreciated.
Now these ideas in and of themselves were wonderful. However, as I started to climb that ladder, I became very prideful, entitled, still telling myself I was doing things under the guise of making the workplace a better place for others, meanwhile I was building myself up with money and power.
Pride is like that…It lies in wait. You have a good idea, and it waits patiently while you start achieving some goals or overcoming milestones, and little by little it works it’s way into your heart, where justification of actions begin to set in. I did some good things during those years, but I also did some things that I am definitely not proud of.
As my pride grew, it got out of control to where I lost sight of the real Janie and what was truly important. I was driven and got so deep into it that I started getting sick all the time. The stress had become unmanageable. I had even made some business trips and landed 2 times in the hospital due to exhaustion.
It became clear that I needed to make a change and so based on how sick I was all the time and some other extenuating circumstances within the company, I decided I needed to quit. I had allowed my pride to take over and it was literally killing me.
After I left my corporate job and started to physically get back on my feet, I contemplated, “what was I going to do next?” I was so used to the lure of corporate life and the “perks” that came with it, mainly how it fed my pride, that I was already looking for the next BIG thing.
During the previous 5 years or so my husband had started a small landscaping company that he ran out of our home. So each day as I sat contemplating what was next for me, I watched as my husbands employees would show up for work, lode the equipment in their trucks, and head out for a day of landscaping maintenance.
I was so full of myself at the time; that as I sat contemplating my next move, while watching the landscaping crews leave, I said to God, “really! lawn mowing. That is what these guys do? That is what you have called my husband to? A lawn mowing business?”
On the scale of things in my mind, lawn mowing for a career was at the bottom of the food chain. In my arrogance and pride I said to God, “Really, lawn mowing?” And without a moments pause I heard God reply, “Well, I was just a carpenter.”
Oh my goodness! I could not believe the words I had just heard. They cut like a knife, and seared my soul. And in that moment I realized for the first time how prideful I had been. I asked for forgiveness that morning. And since that time have done my best that whenever I start to think "I am all that"; I remember that the King of kings, and Lord of lords, was just a carpenter. And, if He could associate Himself with the humble in work and low in spirit, then so should I.
So, #2 – lose the pride!
There are many other things to do to prepare our hearts during Advent for Jesus birth and second coming. I have listed just a couple, but they are a very good start. Because, if our priorities are in the right order with God as #1, then God will be continually on the throne of our lives. And if God is on the throne of our lives there is no room for pride. The rest of our heart changes will come as we keep humbled before Him.
So this Christmas season as you plan for upcoming festivities and the Christmas celebration, be sure to carve out some time to focus on the true reason for Advent - preparing your heart for… “the Carpenter”.
“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appears. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”
