Standing at the Door

He is near, right at the door. Matthew 24:33

Sparkling lights, festive gatherings, favorite treats, the old carols, exchanging of gifts, special traditions. All contribute to the excitement and anticipation of Christmas. But our focus should be joy at the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ incarnation in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago was his first coming, and Jesus himself said in John 14:3 that we can expect a second coming. “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am going you may be also.” We don’t know when Jesus will return but the Bible says in James 5:8 that “the coming of the Lord is near,” and “So you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.”( Matthew 24:33)

I noticed that frequently “appears” or “appearing” are used in connection with Jesus’ return. For example: “Abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence…” (1 John 2:28) and “Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time.”(1 Timothy 6:14-15a) 2 Timothy 4:1 also uses “appearing.” Scholars have indicated that “appearing” could be translated as “manifestation” or “brightness.” So Jesus in His glory will be visible and believers will be able to perceive Him. Other verses use the word “revealed.” Look at Colossians 3:4: “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” And the words “the glory of the Lord will be revealed” from Isaiah 40:5 may sound familiar. As 1 John 3:2b states, “we will see Him (Jesus) just as He is.” Now that is something to look forward to!

Yes, we are definitely to be “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” (Titus2:13) and “awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Corinthians 1:7). While waiting, the Bible says our lives should exhibit “holy conduct and godliness” and we are “to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (2 Peter 3:11,14). It is usually before Easter, during Lent, when Christians examine their lives. But maybe before Christmas, during Advent, would be a good time to do this as well.

Here is a paraphrase of 1 John 3:2-3 from the Message Bible in Contemporary Language: “What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him - and in seeing Him, becoming like Him. All of us who look forward to His Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.” Christmas is coming. And Jesus is coming again. He is standing at the door!

Behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. James 5:9 b

In line at the store, at parties, in the kitchen preparing meals or cleaning up. You may find yourself doing a lot of standing at this time of the year. So I would like to address some healthy ways to stand.

The first point to check is what your knees are doing. Are your legs straight so your knees are “locked” or are your knees slightly bent? You want to have a slight give in your knees – some people say having them “soft” - so they are slightly bent (but not bent too much!). What happens when your knees are “locked” is that your hips tend to tilt forward and then you are in a sway-back position which could cause problems in your low back. To learn how to keep your hips level, click here to see a previous post on this. So keeping your knees slightly bent and your hips level are the first things to watch.

If you are waiting in line and have to stand for a while, you can do some heel taps: rise up on the balls of your feet and then tap both heels to the floor. You can do as many of these as you want. Keep your feet shoulder- width apart so your weight is evenly supported beneath you. This next one works the front of your lower leg: Keep one heel on the ground while raising and lowering your foot. (If Christmas music is playing, keep time with your foot!) Repeat with the other foot. Another waiting-in-line exercise is to lift one heel at a time upward toward your fanny (“fanny kicks” – also shown here). Both of these will help promote circulation in your legs.

If you are going to be standing for a length of time, consider putting one foot up on a low stool or a couple of telephone books. This helps keep your hips level and your spine in its proper curvature. We tend to curl forward when working at a counter, so every now and then, straighten your spine and stand tall. Bring both hands behind your hips. Place one hand on top of the other and push your hands down and away. This brings a nice stretch across the front. Pushing a shopping cart (or a stroller or wheel chair at the mall) is another time you will see people bent over. So this reminder and stretch applies then too. As with any exercise, check with your doctor first if you have any reservations about whether it is safe for you or if you have any pain.

Will you be doing some vacuuming to prepare for (or clean up after) your company? Vacuuming can really irritate the low back area, but keeping your alignment will help prevent this. Position one foot ahead of the other and shift your weight between the front leg and back leg (in a rocking motion) as you move the sweeper forward and back. (See the photo.) Keep in mind that you want your ears, shoulders and hips all to be in a straight line- no curling forward! Focus your eyes out ahead of you on the floor, not downward in front of you.

Practicing these tips while standing and doing other holiday preparations will help preserve your length and strength!