“Expectancy of Christmas” by Jamie Helms
Expectant. How wonderful the Christmas season is as it places us in a state of expectancy. From the expectancy of family visits to the season’s first sips of hot chocolate, Christmas creates the most savoring feelings of waiting and watching. As we prepare for the celebration of sweet Jesus’ birthday, we can freely welcome in peace and gratitude and thankfulness in a way that is unique and fresh year after year. In addition, the excitement the Christmas season delivers to our country brings us together in a way we don’t always see the rest of the year. I have witnessed the yielding of a parking space to someone else. I have experienced more smiles generously given to children that are being a little too rambunctious in a restaurant. I have seen the wonderful power of paying for the person behind someone in a drive-through. There is something about the joy of this expectant season that has the potential to bring a smile out of the grumpiest of persons.
In our family, when our children fuss or whine we often say to them, “Girls, our joy comes from…” to which they reply, “The Lord!” In many cases for our children, it becomes a marker of an attitude adjustment. It is a quick reminder that their whine isn’t worth the trouble it is bringing. Perhaps the Christmas season serves as the adults’ reminder that our joy comes from the Lord! It is a reminder that our blessings far outweigh the troubles of this world.
On this thought of anticipation and expectancy, I think about when our children know their grandparents will be visiting our home. The hour leading up to their arrival, you can most likely find many of their little faces pressed up against the windows in the front of the house, expectant of their arrival. When I think about the weeks leading up to Jesus’ arrival for Mary and Joseph, I imagine their hope and their excitement and their eager anticipation for what our Heavenly Father was bringing them. Their eager anticipation to get to Bethlehem. Their preparation for this sweet baby’s arrival. And their TRUST in the One who was bringing this gift into the world. Oh, the EXPECTANCY of it all must have been intoxicating and overwhelming. If Mary and Joseph could have had their faces pressed to the glass of what the future held for them, they would have, wouldn’t they?!
For our family, when December begins, our four year old daughter DAILY (and sometimes hourly) will ask, “How much longer is it until Christmas Day?” Her sheer excitement for what is 25 days away is too much to contain herself! She just HAS to know if time has gotten any closer. Conversely, our nine year old daughter is quick to ask the expectant questions of when our Christmas traditions will be occurring: when will we be going the the Galaxy of Lights, when will we be making Christmas cookies, what time on Christmas Day will we take the cookies to the hospital, who will we invite for Christmas dinner this year, will our church be having Christmas Eve with fireworks this year, how many presents will we open on Christmas Eve, when will we begin the Jesse Tree? These are all signs of our expectancy of Christmas. What questions do you find yourself asking this Christmas season? What might we ask our precious Heavenly Father to show us that would make us want to put our faces to the glass in anticipation of what He has for us?
As we prepare our hearts for all that this season brings, may we find ourselves expectant in the good gifts that He gives to those who trust in Him. May we boldly pray for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control! May our expectant hearts be desiring THESE good gifts instead of what is lying underneath each of our Christmas trees. May we pray for eyes to see and deliver the joy that Christ brings to those hurting hearts around us. And may we expectantly and readily receive these good gifts as a reminder of who He is inside each of us this Christmas season. I know sometimes I need this reminder in the busyness that the season brings – we are all precious children of a good, good Father that wants nothing more than our time with Him! So let’s stop, press in closer, and see what He has to share with us!
~ Written by Jamie Helms ~
Jamie Marie (St. John) Helms is the wife of her precious husband named Alec and the mama to four young daughters (Vivian, Fisher, Mary Crim, and Franny). She has a background in education, student ministry, and writing. The Helms are members of Willowbrook Baptist Church and are always looking for a new opportunity to serve together as a family. And they are expecting their fifth child!
One Comment
Such a sweet and timely reminder. Thanks for sharing, Jamie.