The Greatest Gift of All
Jean Bundas
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38 (KJV)
I have been asking God what to share during this Christmas season, and I keep coming back to stories of where either we have been blessed or God has asked us to bless others. As you read these testimonies of God’s goodness, my prayer is that it challenges you to see the blessings of God in your life and to take a moment and ask the Lord if there is something He has for you to do that will bless or encourage others.
The Truck
My husband and I served as youth pastors for many years, the majority of this time was either unpaid or did not pay very much. We had purchased a used truck and during the winter months, my husband would pick up jobs plowing parking lots. We had just made the final payment on his truck, when my husband heard the Lord say, “I want you to give your truck to so and so.” My husband argued it out with God for six months, listing very viable reasons why this could not happen. Finally, submitting to the voice of the Lord, we drove the truck four hours north to the home of the recipient. As we handed the man the keys, my husband explained that God had told him to give away his truck. The person was very excited, and very surprised. “Praise God,” he exclaimed, “I’ve been praying for a truck for six months!”
Presents!
During this same season in our lives, there were a couple of Christmas’s where there just wasn’t enough money to go around. We could pay our bills and buy each of our girls a couple small things, but that would be the extent of our celebration. It’s easy to say, “Well, it’s not about the presents anyway,” but as a parent with small children, you want to dote on them a little.
Our girls are grown up now, but they still talk about two very special Christmas’s. The first “miracle” Christmas was the year we came home to find a Christmas tree on our screened in porch, complete with boxes of ornaments, lights, and even a tree stand to put it in! I believe that was the same year that the church were we were youth pastors showered us with groceries and gifts for the girls.
The second Christmas “miracle” was the year we came home to find beautifully wrapped gifts on the porch of our tiny rental home. We never found out who our Christmas “angels” were, but they were people who listened to the voice of their Heavenly Father, and obeyed. Because of that, we were blessed.
There’s No Place like Home
A few years back, my daughter was serving in the Army National Guard. She was far from home and only had a short window of opportunity to make a trip home. She called us to ask us to pray, as her chances of making it on the plane were not looking good. We were ecstatic when she called to tell us she was on the plane. The phone rang again a few minutes later and our daughter told us it didn’t work out. Someone had shown up late and they had pulled her back off the plane. This was the last window of opportunity for her to make that flight. We were all so disappointed and I’m sure a few tears were shed. Meanwhile, back on the airplane, a family had noticed the attendant seat Nicole, and then pull her off the plane again. They had paid for a seat for their small child and offered to hold the child so that Nicole could get back on the plane. I still tear up remembering how overjoyed we were to get that third phone call, “Mom, I can’t talk now, but I’m on the plane! I’m coming home!”
Speaking of home, we had to move away from our home town about 5 years ago. The company I work for didn’t have any work left in Michigan. The Lord opened the door for me to stay at the same company, but it required my husband and me to move to another state. The Christmas season was coming upon us and it didn’t look like we would be able to go home. Tickets were far too expensive. I received a call from a friend asking if we would like to come home for Christmas. Of course, my answer was a huge “YES!” Our friend purchased buddy passes for us and we were able to surprise our grandchildren on Christmas Eve morning.
Last year, we had planned to drive home for Christmas. My husband had recently had a full knee replacement and we were a little nervous about driving all that way. Another friend called out of the blue and said that she felt like the Lord was telling her to buy us airline tickets to fly home. I didn’t know it at the time, but they didn’t even have the money in the bank to do so. She felt it so strongly in her heart though, that they took a step of faith and put it on their credit card. A couple weeks later, she received a card in the mail from her brother with a check in it for the exact amount they had paid for the airline tickets!
The Greatest Gift of All
These are just a couple of stories of how God works through our simple obedience to bless us and to bless others.
Our Pastor shared an example on Sunday of how sometimes in life we forget those blessings. We start to feel like we have been busy passing out coffee to others, only to find that when we go to pour ourselves a cup, the only thing left is the grainy stuff in the bottom of the pot. We lose the joy of being used by God to bring encouragement to others because we become focused on the dregs. It is easy to get caught up in what we don’t have, and forget how God has blessed us.
God has given us so much that we often take for granted. If there is nothing else you can think of to be thankful for today, remember this: God gave us the greatest gift ever when He sent His Son in the form of a baby, born in a manager.
Jesus.
He was obedient unto death, so that we might have life.
Now, what is it that God would have you to do today to help share that life with someone in need? :)
