Gary E. Stevenson - Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room

Interior images:

Vladimir Zadvinskii/Shutterstock.com

John Kepchar/Shutterstock.com

traffico/Shutterstock.com

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Gary E. Stevenson by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, at permissions@deseretbook.com or PO Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.

Deseret Book is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.

Visit us at deseretbook.com

ISBN 978-1-62972-834-6

eISBN 978-1-64933-010-9

Printed in the United States of America

Artistic Printing, Salt Lake City, UT

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover art: Worshipping Shepherds

Annie Henrie Nader, used by permission.

Book design 2020 Deseret Book Company

Design: Heather G. Ward; Art direction: Richard Erickson

Contents

At Christmas we celebrate the birth, life, and light of Jesus Christ, the literal Son of God and the Savior of the world. We find hope in the pronouncement that accompanied His birth: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14). Music, excited children, gifts to give and receive, Christmas trees, decorations, and lights are all part of the joyous celebration.

When you think of Christmas, what cherished memories come to mind? For me, this time of year always brings memories of Christmas celebrations from my childhood.

I can still remember the gifts that I received. I remember a football and a basketball, toys and clothes. Most of those gifts are now gone and forgotten; the clothes are worn out and outgrown. But what I remember most of Christmases pastmy most poignant and favorite memoriesare not about what I received but what I gave.

Let me explain. Each year, on the Saturday before Christmas, I would join with the other youth in our ward as we gathered at our church building to fill baskets with oranges, bananas, and homemade cookies and cakes to deliver to widows who lived nearby. We went to their homes, sang Christmas carols, and gave Christmas baskets. I still remember their grateful smiles. Some of them were first- or second-generation immigrants expressing their gratitude in heavily accented English: Sisters Swartz, Zbinden, Groll, and Kackler. I will never forget the warm feeling this embedded in my heart.

When Lesa and I became parents, we began a family tradition shared by many of providing Christmas gifts to a family in need. We often received the name of a family from a community resource, along with the ages of the children. We spent much time and effort to find just the right gifts for them. Our sons seemed to find a joy in this family tradition of service, which helped to etch the true spirit of Christmas in our hearts.

In my professional life, I was involved in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of fitness equipment around the world. Treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines are designed primarily to strengthen the heart. Indeed, at our company we went to great lengths to ensure that equipment users could accurately measure the condition and activity levels of their hearts through heart-rate monitors. Today, many of us wear technology on our wrists that monitors our hearts and encourages activities to strengthen our hearts.

What if there were a way to measure the condition of your heart from a spiritual perspectivea spiritual heart monitor, if you will? What would your heart monitor say? How spiritually healthy is your heart? The Christmas season seems like an ideal time for us to thoughtfully evaluate the status of our own hearts.

For example, you might ask yourself, Is my heart prepared to receive the Savior? At Christmastime we often sing, Let every heart prepare him room (Joy to the World, Hymns , no. 201; emphasis added). How can you prepare room in your heart for Christ, especially during this busy yet wonderful season?

The scriptures are replete with descriptions that can help us evaluate the condition of our hearts. Some verses include words like pure , meek , lowly , broken , and contrite (Jacob 3:12; Alma 37:34; 32:8; Doctrine and Covenants 97:8; Psalm 51:17).

These words, and many others throughout scripture, give us insight into the Saviors heart. In order for us to receive Him into our hearts, surely our hearts must be pure and humble like His. How can we receive the necessary change of heart that will enable us to know and recognize the Savior more completely in our personal lives?

Let me share a true story that can serve as a parable. As a boy, my father lived in a small town in Utah near a large lake. In the days before the pioneers arrived, Native Americans hunted and fished in the area. Thus, certain locations around the lake became popular for those looking for arrowheads. When my father was five years old, he and his father visited this lake to find some of these arrowheads. After they had spent the entire day searching, my grandfather asked my father whether he had found any arrowheads.

My father replied, No, I didnt find any. Then he reached into his pocket and added, But I did find this nice rock that is shaped just like a Christmas tree! Well, he had found an arrowhead after all, but he just didnt realize it. There he was, holding the real thing in his possession, but he did not recognize it for what it truly was.

Like this story, for many people today, their vision of what is real and most importantJesus Christ, the Savior of the worldis blurred by the things that are not real.

Sometimes it is difficult to grasp what is real, especially in a day of virtual reality. For example, I have skied on man-made snow and have decorated artificial Christmas trees with fake icicles. So how do we know what is real? How do we obtain a testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ?

We gain a testimony of what is real as we read the word of God in the scripturesboth ancient and modern. Scriptures abound that prophesy of the birth of Christthe first Christmas. We may forget when we read these scriptural prophecies that they were indeed prophecies. They offer great detail about what was going to happen but had not yet happened.

Prior to the advent of Christs birth on earth, the Jewish people anxiously anticipated the coming of the Messiah. They knew He would come, and they expected Him to come in great glory, liberate them temporally, establish an earthly kingdom, and rule as their mighty King.

Who would know first of the Messiahs birth? Would it not be the Sanhedrin or others in positions of power and influence? The Bible tells us that it was lowly shepherds sleeping on the ground to whom an angel declared the good tidings of great joy (Luke 2:10) and that it was wise men from afar who saw his star in the east, and [came] to worship him (Matthew 2:2). Even though their long-awaited Messiah was now before them in the flesh, there were many who did not know or recognize Him with their eyes andmost importantly with their hearts.