During the weeks of Advent, we prepare in our hearts for Jesus. We do a lot of getting ready for Christmas, but how does a person actually prepare his heart? Can a heart that is growing stony be softened to the good news of the Savior’s birth?
Years ago by writing a play that used puppets, I tried to help young children understand what it is for God to give “a new heart and put a new spirit in you,” and what it means that He’d “remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). The puppet became new when his hard heart was replaced with a soft, flexible one. If only things went as easily with real people!
Jesus has performed all the true heart transplants. The One who changed you and me also changed ordinary fishermen and tax collectors. Even as a newborn and as a little child, He transformed the hearts of lowly shepherds and majestic Wiseman. What’s the condition of your heart? Is it hardened like stone, exasperated by Christmas? Receive Jesus’ gift: a believing heart overflowing with love.