Many years ago, I lead a group of ladies in a home Bible study. It was one of my favorite groups and times of my life. Preparation to lead the Bible study was more than rewarding. I was and still am, blessed far more than the ladies I lead.

Preparations of my home and the dining room for guests meant that my house would be clean for at least one day of the week…with three young children that was an added blessing. Preparation of a breakfast food was fun too. I usually found new recipes to try on this group. They were my guinea pigs.

Another element to this study that I thoroughly enjoyed was the presence of my cousin Dawn. We knew one another in a family setting as children. I’d seen her grow into a wonderful Christian woman. But in this group, studying the Bible, we grew as sisters in Christ, and that was very exciting for me.

One morning for this group, I prepared Golden Christmas Puffs. It was a family recipe. One my Grandma Ike made for us on many occasions. And it thrilled me to share this family treasure with my cousin.

When she arrived, I picked up the platter of these yummy confections and exclaimed, “Look what I made!”

She replied with, “Yeah, I see.”

She clearly must have forgotten these delicious donuts. So again, I exclaimed. “They are Golden Christmas Puffs. Grandma Ike used to make them for us all the time.”

Dawn looked at me and said, “Grandma never made them for us.” We laughed it off, of course, but this was an awkward situation to be certain.

Sometimes we make preparations in our lives that work out perfectly. Other times, we should have just skipped the preparation.

But the one thing that will never be wasted time is when we prepare our hearts. Prepare our hearts for God’s entrance, God’s grace, God’s forgiveness, God’s heart to replace our own.

How do we prepare our hearts? Here are some steps to take to come to that place.

Open Your Heart

Acknowledge your weakness. Understand that you cannot prepare your heart on your own. God must be in the midst of this preparation. We see several passages in the Book of Psalm that leads us in this direction.

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” (Psalm 84:5 – NIV)

“Blessed are they who keep his statutes and see him with all their heart.” (Psalm 119:2 – NIV)

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 – NIV)

A few other passages you might want to read are Psalm 26:2, Psalm 27:14, and Psalm 73:26.

Ready Your Heart

After you’ve accepted the fact that you need help with preparing your heart, it’s time to ready your heart. We must ready our hearts through prayer and Bible meditation.

Through Prayer

“My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:2 – NIV)

Through Bible Meditation

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 – NIV)

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 – NIV)

Accept God’s Heart

God’s heart is filled with grace, love, mercy and holiness. It is pure, steadfast, and undivided. These are characteristics we must be willing to accept as we allow our hearts to be affected by God’s heart.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 – NIV)

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.” (Psalm 57:7 – NIV)

“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (Psalm 86:11 – NIV)

Enjoy a Grateful Heart

As our hearts are turned to God and the preparation is complete, we are able to come before Him with grateful hearts. Hearts filled with rejoicing. Hearts filled with thanksgiving.

“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.” (Psalm 9:1 – NIV)

“I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” (Psalm 13:5 – NIV)

“Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him; let all the upright in heart praise him!” (Psalm 64:10 – NIV)

I would have loved the hand-written copy of this recipe from my Grandma Ike’s recipe box, but it has been lost through the years. The memories, however, remain strong and as my grandchildren grow older this treat will show up at family gathering to make even more memories.

Golden Christmas Puffs are a special treat for my family when I prepare them. I’d love to share the recipe with you! I’ll be adding a new page to my website that will include old family recipes and recipes that we have enjoyed through the years. If you have a chance, please take the time to visit that page. I guarantee you’ll enjoy each recipe as much as we have.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna