Christmas Clutter
I’ve spent the morning dealing with clutter, trying to make my home ready for family and friends, and it has struck me that there is always clutter that comes with the season.
There’s the good clutter, that speaks of anticipation and celebration:
Wrapping paper, bows
Secret stashes in corners and closets
Rows of dried fruit, nuts, cheeses, chips to be made into a feast
Greenery, lights, decorations and bows
Then there’s the other, not-so-festive clutter that, left untended to, will distract from the beauty and joy of the day:
Laundry to fold, cookie sheets and linen napkins to wash
Things to move from one fridge to the other
Stack of books piled in the corner to make room for the Christmas books
Bills and papers and hoodies and shoes to be put out of sight
And it has struck me that even more important to deal with are the things that can clutter the heart:
Worry about the future, and things we can’t control
Regret about the past, and no way to set it right
Relationships that hurt us
Wrongs real, or imagined
What might have been
What never was
Stress about shopping, wrapping, cooking and who will or won’t come
Fretting over how we wish things could be
Fear of not measuring up
I want to put that clutter away from me now, so that it can’t distract, or crowd out the room I want to have in my heart for all that really matters.
I want to fill my heart with the true gifts of celebration in this season:
The people I love, the songs about angels and stars and a holy night, the laughter of family, friends, and neighbors, the beauty of the night sky and lights on the lawn, the warmth of giving and sharing, the holy fragility of living in peace.
As our homes are filled with all of the clutter of the season, let our hearts be uncluttered, making room to receive the unconditional love, the unexplainable peace, the unspeakable joy of knowing the Child, Emmanuel, God has come to be with us!
Martha & Greg
