My family room was complete. The tree was up, the stockings were hung by the chimney with care. I clicked on the fireplace, and turned on the tree lights. I arranged the pillows on my couch and in my basket, and took a step back. Smile. Yes, Christmas perfection, I thought. I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo to share my décor.
I’ll share. Look at my beautiful Christmas family room. Do you like it?
Yes, I liked it too. Until I zoomed in. I’ll give you a closer look. See anything odd here?
Yep, you got it. There was a sock in my lantern centerpiece!
The Outside of the Cup
From a distance, my family room was perfect. It was all tied up with string, looking dazzling. However, upon closer examination, you quickly saw this wasn’t a magazine cover. This is actually a real-life house, with real people living there, with a certain child who thought it might be funny to take his socks off for the day, and dump one in the centerpiece.
If I were to guess, most of us would shake our heads in agreement hearing that story. I can almost hear you audibly saying, “yep, that’s my life.” The challenge here is that we so desperately yearn for the magazine cover. Maybe not in your home, but in some area of motherhood. You want it to appear perfect. Flawless. Easy.
This brings me to a part in Scripture found in Matthew. Jesus was dropping some serious truth here. He wasn’t pointing it at those who recognized their sin, but rather at those who covered it up. He was pointing it at the Pharisees who despite their wickedness, went to great lengths to ensure they looked perfect on the outside. This is what Jesus had to say in response,
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
Matthew 23:25-26
The Inside of the Cup
My challenge for us (yes, I need this too) is to not have a Pharisee Christmas this year. Let’s enjoy our families, socks and all. Meaning, let’s not buy into the Hallmark movie picture perfect day. Let’s recognize we are raising real-life human beings that do not always listen. They get hangry, entitled, and snippy. They talk back, have meltdowns, and sulk. They are not perfect. We are not perfect.
If we continue to seek the image of having it all together, we will slowly crumble. It’s a weight you and I were never intended to bear. It’s a losing battle. It’s a joy robbing journey. It’s pride. It’s sin.
During this season, is there a better person than Jesus’ mother Mary to lean on for an example? She was a soon-to-be Mama with some pretty large unmet expectations. She didn’t receive the welcome to motherhood she dreamed of. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, I can guess she thought often. Zoom to modern day, she didn’t get the Instagram famous baby shower, or the cute birth announcement. Rather, she was on Air B&B searching for a place with a bed! Yet, Mary is always highlighted as a mother in Scripture who was humble. She was unable to pretend the outside of the cup was clean. Her situation looked pretty bleak. She didn’t need the outside to be shiny though, because what God placed inside of her was the only perfection this world has ever known.
Let’s focus this Christmas on the inside. First and foremost, the inside of ourselves. Let’s be Mamas who love the Lord and find our identity in His love. Next, let’s value the inside of our kids. Not the perfect Christmas dress or gifts. The story about a perfect baby boy who was born that now has the power the change our lives forever. Let’s clean the inside of our cups. When the inside is clean, there will be no need to worry about the outside. God will do that part.
Please join us for Adore
If you are a Mama friend of mine already, you’ve heard of Adore, which is an advent activity for families to remind us of these very concepts. I can’t wait to lean in and focus on the inside of my cup this season.
It’s not too late. Get your copy AT THE SHOP and join us!