Something WAS prepared

9:37 p.m. Today's project is to express to God my utmost gratitude for working in my family's lives during this time. All of my kids and their spouses, and my dad, were together here for Christmas Day; and three of them had Christmas Eve supper with me after church and visiting in-laws. We shared two dinners and a breakfast, as well as substantial supplies of homemade goodies and snacks. (I'm still happily cleaning up the last details as I write this)!With Steve's condition worsening and requiring daily hospital and rehab center visits,  I did not make Christmas dinner, nor did I bake 7 or 8 kinds of cookies as usual. My daughter-in-law Marisela headed up the crew for the enchilada and posole Mexican feast, and my other daughter-in-law Pam made 2 deep dishes of heavenly enchiladas.  I was treated as the Jews were commanded to celebrate Purim with each other in Esther 9:22-23: The month Adar was to contain this commemoration:

...as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. 

I also want to note Nehemiah 8:10, long a favorite verse, an exhortation from Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the scribe to the returned Jewish exiles after the reading of the Law and the weeping  of the people:

"Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

I fretted most of the month because I had nothing prepared, and no time to prepare it, with large chunks of each day spent traveling to visit Steve and with the visits themselves.Priorities change instantly when a spouse becomes gravely ill! So I did strive to make some dishes and prep for others. What little I made and baked were acceptable, but nowhere near enough to meet the appetites of nine adults.

In my own striving, I can become one "for whom nothing is prepared," not trusting Jesus to do exceedingly abundantly above my best efforts. It's like canned tuna for casseroles vs. spectacular Ahi tuna in an upscale restaurant. There's just no comparison.

There is one preparation that I don't want you to miss, upon which hangs our entire eternal destiny, Hebrews 10:5-7:

Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
Sacrifice and offering You did not
 desire;
But a body You have prepared for
  Me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices
  for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, 'Behold, I have 
   come--
In the volume of the book it is
  written of Me---
To do Your will, O God.

By His arms, on the cross, Jesus hung, in the virgin-born body God had prepared for Him specifically to die for the sin of mankind. The Bible asserts: no man can save himself from eternal damnation (Psalm 49:7-9). And as unprepared as we were the day we got saved, God prepared our hearing of the Gospel and our becoming saved, before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 1:26).

And there is more preparation for His children. In John 14:2, Jesus Himself says to His disciples then and now:

In  My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  

And my Steve is getting gets closer entering his mansion hour by hour!

Please prepare your heart for Jesus tonight!