“It’s the most busiest time of the year!” Did I get that Christmas lyric right?
This season, I often find it hard to slow down and reflect on what all this hustle and bustle is truly about. As a task-oriented person, I sometimes reduce everything—even my spiritual growth—to a to-do list:
At Cedarbrook, we work hard to equip campers with tools and skills to follow God. But we also know that true growth in a relationship with Jesus doesn’t come from our willpower or discipline. It comes from creating space and inviting God to work in us.
This mindset of reducing spiritual growth to a checklist reminded me of a challenge John Mark Comer highlights in his book Practicing the Way:
“This is where, for those of us with more control-oriented personalities, there’s a latent danger in taking our spiritual formation seriously. The practices of spiritual formation can be perverted into yet another attempt to control— rather than a medium through which we release the illusion of control back to God, and open ourselves to grace.”
I know I’ve shared this before, but one line from “Joy to the World” always resonates with me: “Let every heart prepare Him room.” This Christmas, amidst the shopping, parties, meals, and pageants, let’s make room for Jesus. Give Him your time, your space, and your energy.
He is so worth it.
