Don’t miss the small but magical Christmas miracles all around you.
The last time I decorated my house for Christmas in the U.S. was on November 2007. Shortly after that Christmas, we decided to move to S. America and serve as missionaries.
Up until a few months ago, Ecuador was home for us. We recently made the move back to the U.S.
Well, I love Christmas so around November I started thinking about my favorite time of the year. I walked into a store here in the U.S. and looked at all the fun Christmas decorations! I was in winter wonderland heaven. But I quickly felt overwhelmed by all the beautiful items and all it would cost to decorate our home for Christmas.
We had no Christmas stuff. We gave away all of our Christmas stuff in Ecuador because we were only able to take 10 suitcases back to the U.S. filled with our stuff and Christmas decor was not a priority.
On my drive home I had come to terms with this being our “let’s just make it through the holidays” year. Which meant I wouldn’t be decorating much.
This was hard. I love Christmas and I love making our home festive. I was missing all of our homemade ornaments, our Christmas village, our fun decorations, my fun Christmas mugs and dishes that we left behind with precious friends.
When I finally made it home I told my husband the news. It’s going to be our “make it through this year Christmas.” We’ll buy some things when they go on clearance after Christmas.
Our Christmas Miracle
Here’s our Christmas miracle!
First let me clarify, water wasn’t turned to wine. No one was healed from a severe sickness. No one left a $1000 in my mailbox or offered to build us our dream home.
Our Christmas miracle was simple but extraordinary.
I’ve been dying to tell EVERYONE this story but it’s hard to share stories like this without making it sound like we’re patting ourselves on the back. I’m not! I’m praising God for giving us so much more than what we need.
Here it goes.
After telling my husband that we weren’t going to do much this year for Christmas he went down to the basement and came back up with a plastic bin full of Christmas stuff and said, “What about this?”
It was a storage bin full of ornaments, lights and some decorations. How in the world! We thought we sold every Christmas item we owned before we left 9 years ago. Well, after examining the bin I didn’t think we would have enough to decorate our tree.
But we did have enough! More than enough!
Well, not only did we have enough ornaments to decorate our huge tree and the outside of our house with lights but we had tons of ornaments and other decorations LEFT OVER.
Can you believe that?
It was like God multiplied our Christmas decorations.
Our whole house was decorated and we even had enough to share the abundance!
Later my husband reminded me of the sweet family who sold us a Christmas tree at a yard sale for $4. It was a really nice tree and it cost them over $100. So now we had extra ornaments, a tree, lights and stocking all to SHARE with someone. I was so excited!!!
I turned to my husband after we decorated our tree and I said,
We have to give this to someone who doesn’t have enough money to decorate their house for Christmas this year! I don’t want to store this stuff for another year when someone can use it–today.
This thought immediately came to my mind–I really want to give it to a refugee family!
When We Get Busy
Well you know where good ideas and intentions like that go when you’re busy?
No where!
I’d forgotten to contact organizations to see who could use this Christmas stuff.
One day I was sitting around admiring our tree and remembering how God had given us more than we needed this Christmas. Then I remembered.
I could NOT let that stuff sit here. I had to do something with the abundance!
I randomly contacted a young lady I meant at our church and I sent her a message thinking she might know someone who needs Christmas decorations.
Guess what?
She knew a refugee family that could use it! A refugee family just as I had hoped.
Can you believe it?
Not only did God provide us with enough Christmas decorations for our house but we had enough to share. Then our whole family had the honor to deliver the items to the refugee family and help them set up the tree.
Don’t Miss the Small But Magical Miracles
Don’t miss the small but magical miracles all around you this Christmas season because you’re too busy trying to make your own magical Christmas for your family.
I almost did!
Oh that He would open the eyes of my heart so I don’t miss seeing Him in my day-to-day this season.
Feliz Navidad!
