Dec. 27, 2005 - The Best Present of All

I am continually amazed at how God's ways are so much better than our ways.

If you're like me, then you enjoy receiving gifts on your birthday or at Christmas.  Isn't it fun and exciting to see what surprises lurk beneath the wrapping paper?  God made us that way and we should enjoy the things we receive.  Nothing wrong with that.

But there is no greater joy than giving.

It truly is better to give than receive.  Giving to others is key to fulfilling the commandment of God to "love one another."  You just can't be more loving than to give freely of your time, talents, treasure, or life for others.

Such was the case for our family during this past Christmas holiday.

We knew of a homeschool family that was in desperate need:

• Christian couple with 5 children
• Father working two jobs to make ends meet (barely)
• Renting a tiny, two bedroom house
• One month behind on the rent
• Furnace not properly working
• Stove not properly working

In short, good people working hard but with no immediate prospects for improvement.  They didn't have any assets to count on...except for God.

About three weeks before Christmas, the father told me they were using the fireplace to heat the house because they didn't want to bother the landlord since they were behind on the rent.  That was more than my heart could take.  I wanted to help but knew that I could not meet this family's need alone.

What could one person do?  Not much.  But many people can do much when they work together.

God gave me the idea to take up an "offering" for this family from among our friends.  I had a specific vision of raising enough money to cover the back rent ($1,200), to buy groceries ($300), and have an extra $100 for Christmas.

None of our friends knew this particular family in need.  Yet over the next two weeks we raised $1,585!!!  When each gives a little, much can be done.

We had this family over a week before Christmas to surprise them with this financial blessing from complete strangers.  They were shocked beyond words.  (So was their landlord when he got the rent.)  What a testimony to God's faithfulness!

You can understand that this family was joyful.  That's a given.  Their long-term problems weren't solved but God met their immediate need at a critical time.  He did it in ways they would never have expected.  That's a great story in itself.

But the story doesn't end there.

I am convinced that the greatest blessing was being part of God's plan to meet this family's need.  Everyone who gave was an important part of that story.  God touched many hearts, not just the family in need.  As a bonus, my family was privileged to witness the passing of this blessing from many families to one.  We got to see the joy on their faces and hear it in their voices.

You can't get that experience or feeling from a wrapped box.  It's the best present of all and it only comes from giving.

Dec. 28, 2005 - Thanks

Dec. 29, 2005 - Untitled Comment

Dec. 31, 2005 - Untitled Comment

Jan. 1, 2006 - HAPPY NEW YEAR STEVE & FAMILY !

Jan. 6, 2006 - Untitled Comment