Ready or Not

I wasn't ready for Christmas last year. We spent the month of December tearing the house apart for some unexpected renovations. The kitchen was a maze of ladders and fixtures pulled out from the walls. The dining room played host to our toaster, stand mixer, crock pot and other appliances, as well as the overflow from my always disastrous desk. Two of our bathrooms were unusable. I was nine months pregnant; my brain was in furious nesting mode, urging me to whip everything into perfect order and readiness. I had visions of crafting handmade gifts with my kids at our spotless family table, nestled in the cozy tidiness of a home lit with twinkling Christmas tree lights. Instead I spent my time squeezing my enormous belly through hallways jammed with painting supplies and unhinged doors, and serving my kids haphazard meals on the living room floor.

But needless to say, even though I wasn't ready, Christmas came anyway.

This year Easter is coming too fast as well. I always intend to pull together a handful of the brilliant ideas furnished by the omni-competent mommies of Blogland, weave a Lenten tradition for my own family. I want to help prepare our hearts for the Resurrection celebration with a season of humbling and meditation and creative anticipation. But with a new baby around and a husband who's been out of pocket for weeks due to work and extended-family commitments, I haven't made it happen... again. And here we are; Easter is tomorrow. I'm not ready.

But you know what's comforting? Jesus came to a world that wasn't ready for Him. He came to a world that was messy. (He came because the world was messy!) He came as a baby to a people who expected an emperor or a general. They weren't prepared to recognize Him, let alone welcome Him properly.

Fast forward thirty years, and even Jesus' closest friends and disciples still weren't ready--not for a Lord who would ascend His throne by dying. And not for the resurrection either. The women at the tomb on that Sunday morning arrived with tears and embalming agents. They hadn't come for a party. This was not the original Sunrise Service planning committee, ya know? They were, as the angel said, "looking for the living among the dead." They were completely unprepared to find an empty tomb. Mary Magdalene was so unprepared that she thought her risen Lord was the landscaping guy. And the disciples? They were still in town, cowering behind a locked door, waiting to be arrested. So I guess what I'm saying is, if I'm unprepared for these celebrations of Christ, at least I'm in good company.

I still want to grow in helping my family prepare for and enjoy the Easter season. But in the meantime, I am so grateful for--no, I am reveling in--a Savior who deigned to display His glory to the unprepared.