This year our pocket books are super tight, we are having a family struggle and today is the anniversary of my little sister’s death 13 years ago.
Christmas time is such a joyous time and yet, for me, a real time of humble memories of a God that sees us in our desperation. He meets us right where we are and He longs to bless us and sing over us.
Every Christmas I think back to a time when I was so desperate for God, I’m actually always desperate, but this one year…
My sister died December 18 of AIDS and it was 2 weeks before I was to deliver my youngest daughter Sarah. I was SO pregnant and heart broken, I thought I would never be able to get a baby out.
We were so financially broke that our cupboards were growing more empty by the day. Not only that, there was not a present under the tree for my little 5 year old and 2 ½ year old.
I didn’t really know how to face each day, I felt I had hit rock bottom, but every day I would climb out of bed for my kids and put on a smile and tell them we would make it…together. I would call on God to give me strength and He never failed to do just that.
My heart was broken for my children…what would we give them for Christmas this year? When they would ask what they were getting for Christmas I would smile and say “we will do what we can.” I didn’t even know what that meant!
My husband and I prayed and prayed and prayed.
I humbled myself before God, asking for direction…for a miracle.
I had decided that with Christmas just a few days away that we would have a birthday party for Jesus.
The kids loved parties!
I began by getting my kids all excited about this party..letting them know how God would be so happy that we would throw a party for his one and only Son. We talked all about the Christmas story and the kids made tons of pictures and arts and craftsy gifts to give to Jesus on Christmas morning!
We played games, baked cookies and a cake, sang songs and thanked the Father for the gift of His son!
That very next afternoon I heard knocking at the front door. I didn’t want to see anyone or talk to anyone. I was just too big, pregnant, grieving and numb. I waddled my way to the door and opened it to find a delivery guy from Albertsons standing on my front porch. “Is this the …residence?” I said “yes”.
He told me he had a delivery for us and could he please bring it in. I was so puzzled..I hadn’t ordered any groceries for sure.
I asked him if he could please just leave the groceries on the porch and he said “I don’t think I should, there are quite a few bags” Believe it or not I kept telling him to leave the few bags on the porch and he kept saying “I really should help bring these in, there are quite a few.”
Never in my wildest imagination would I have guessed how much groceries he would bring into my house!
Bag after bag…the groceries kept coming!
There was everything in those bags that our family could have ever needed, to last several months!! My husband and I estimated that there was probably about $600 or more worth of food! As you can imagine…I cried and cried and cried, again!
Thank you God for loving us so much!
That’s not the end of the story…Christmas morning we got up and somehow one of us looked out the window and noticed that our car was packed YES packed full of Christmas presents! Needless to say, more crying!
We gave to God all that we had, but His intention was to give to us ALL that HE had and more!
Every single year we remember this story and God’s great love for us. It was the biggest Birthday Party Bash EVER!!
Oh and our little baby ended up being born 2 weeks late and it was the best and easiest birth I had ever had. I know this was a special gift from my Lord. He loves us so!
You know, I’m nothing special, just a child of God just like you. If you are waiting on God, waiting for a miracle this Christmas, let’s celebrate His great gift. There is something about humbling ourselves before God and being thankful for what we have.
If you need a miracle this Christmas I would love to pray for you, because I know that our God is listening and that He sees us.
