• Home
  • About
  • Dis/ability
    • Ella’s Story
  • “This Is Ella” Book
  • Contact
  • About Me

    Hi, I’m Krista.

    Strategic communicator and storyteller.

    I am the wife of a very talented musician who takes me around the world in pursuit of excellence. Mama to Jakob, Audrey and Ella, who just happens to have Down Syndrome.
    And an aspiring disciple of Jesus, defender of the oppressed, writer, graphic designer and photographer.

    I write and speak on navigating through the fog of life…you know, when things don’t go exactly as planned and am fuelled by a passion to amplify the voices of those on the margins…
    oh, and coffee…lots of coffee.

  • Sign up for my Newsletter

  • Home
  • About
  • Dis/ability
    • Ella’s Story
  • “This Is Ella” Book
  • Contact

Welcome Home

December 17, 2018

This past weekend I had a National Trust double-header. On Friday, I went to Waddesdon Manor with a girlfriend and on Saturday, my husband, Ben, and I took the children to see Father Christmas at Standen Manor in Sussex. I don’t think I could have ever imagined how much we use of our National Trust membership but there is something about the properties that is truly magical. History comes alive! 

Christmastime is an especially good time to explore the many nearby historical houses. Volunteers have spent countless hours putting up trees, stringing lights, tending the gardens and decorating for Christmas. Some homes, such as Waddesdon, have elaborate, carefully designed and decorated rooms with extravagant furnishings and themed trees, while others, such as Standen, have stayed true to the era in which the house was built and there is a homely warmth that feeds the spirit. As you wander through the houses and walk the extensive grounds you can’t help but imagine what it would have been like to live in such luxury. It is not hard to get into the Christmas spirit and yet, the setting of the first Christmas stands in stark contrast to the grandeur of a place like Waddesdon. The very first Christmas did not take place in a grand manor house, but rather, in a lowly, dirty, smelly, little cattle stall. 

I think that often, it is too easy to get caught up in the luxury of Christmas –everything there is to do, to see, and to buy. Being a born perfectionist, I find myself getting distracted by all the events in my diary, the many gifts there are to buy or make, and the need to have everything just perfect, but this is not what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about being home. 

On that first Christmas God sent his son to make a home among us so as to dwell with us. Christmas, to God, is not about having the perfect décor or colour coordinated wrapping paper. I can’t imagine that the smell of roasted turkey wafted through the air as Mary and Joseph opened the door to the stable but rather, I suspect, it smelled of hay and manure. Nor can I imagine that a Christmas music mix was playing in the background. Perhaps all Mary and Joseph heard was simply the sound of cows chewing their dinner or a lamb bleating, but God came anyway. You see, God was not concerned about the state of the world–it did not need to be perfect or beautifully decorated. In fact, it was because of the broken and messy state of the world that He came. 

As we prepare our homes to welcome family and friends, let us also prepare our hearts to be a home worthy of the King: perfect in humility and beautiful in brokenness. 

More from my site

  • Slipping from GraceSlipping from Grace
  • My Grown-Up Christmas WishMy Grown-Up Christmas Wish
  • Grateful.Grateful.
  • Thinking about how to stay healthy while my kids are sickThinking about how to stay healthy while my kids are sick
  • Radio Silence.Radio Silence.
  • Where am I?Where am I?

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Share

Uncategorised

Krista Ewert

Leave A Reply


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • About Me

    Hi, I’m Krista.

    Strategic communicator and storyteller.

    I am the wife of a very talented musician who takes me around the world in pursuit of excellence. Mama to Jakob, Audrey and Ella, who just happens to have Down Syndrome.
    And an aspiring disciple of Jesus, defender of the oppressed, writer, graphic designer and photographer.

    I write and speak on navigating through the fog of life…you know, when things don’t go exactly as planned and am fuelled by a passion to amplify the voices of those on the margins…
    oh, and coffee…lots of coffee.

  • Search

  • Recent Posts

    • 2022: A Year of Compromise
      January 1, 2023
    • 10 Things I am Grateful for 1 Year Later
      May 24, 2022
    • Entering the Frigid Waters of 2022
      January 3, 2022
  • Find me here




Krista Ewert © Copyright 2021

 

Loading Comments...