‘Tis the season of giving. Many of us dream of making a difference in someone’s life this time of year. Maybe its because we’re nurturing feelings of nostalgia, fueling our Christmas spirit, or trying to abide by a motto of goodwill to all. However, often times December gets away from us, opportunities get passed by in the hustle and haste, and we never actually follow through on our best intentions.
Maybe you’ve already “made” someone’s Christmas—purchased a sack full of presents for a family in need, written a check, rang the red bell, or packed an operation Christmas child box. If so, YAY YOU! (I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or on my Facebook page!)
I commend and applaud you. This is what Christmas is about – loving people and offering tangible hope to them in what can be a difficult time of year.
In the spirit of doing good, I want to share this story of a friend who went out of her way to offer hope and love in someone’s trying circumstance. It’s a true step-out-of-your-comfort-zone, let-your-plans-go, love your neighbor story.
“Last night my husband and I were leaving Target. A lady approached us to ask if she could wash our window, and she could barely even get the words out without breaking down and crying. I told her I didn’t have any cash on me and she ran off. My husband and I both felt a stirring to help her, and at that moment I realized Target didn’t give us the gift card we had earned. We decided I would run back in and get the card…thinking we’d give it to her.
We were in a rush to pick up our kids who were babysitting, but we had a heaviness on our heart for this woman. A $5 gift card was not enough, she needed more. She needed to be reminded of God’s love and faithfulness.
My husband had kept an eye out while I was in the store and knew exactly where she was—in the bush hiding and crying. We drove near where she was and I opened the car door and asked her if she was okay and what she needed. She said she needed the necessities. I said, “Come on! Let’s get some things you need!”
She was so surprised and she jumped up from her hiding place immediately. My husband left us at the store and went to collect our girls.
What happened next was utterly amazing. We walked through Target together, she bought shampoo, deodorant, feminine products, cheese slices, bread, lunch meat, rice and such. I asked her about her home life, she has a son 12 yrs old, and had just gotten a job. She said, “Things are going to turn around, it’s just going to take time.”
We laughed about food and silly things. I insisted she get ice cream and Stouffer’s lasagna, and we also bought her son a lego set. She was budget conscious, she didn’t take advantage, she got the everyday things we all need. She was filled with gratitude, expressing it frequently during our time together.
I can’t even explain how this act of kindness changed me. I remember 9 years ago when my own family was in a hard place and our friends showed up with groceries and gave us their $300 Christmas bonus to buy Christmas presents. We promised to pay it forward someday in the future when we were able.
God is faithful and the hard times are purposeful. My heart is cherishing the moment when she hugged me tightly for several minutes. I told her, ‘God loves you so much and He sees you.’”
Wow! What a powerful story of acting on promptings and really “making” someone’s Christmas. My friend’s actions exemplify what it means to bring hope to people and to show them tangible love from God! No matter where you are today, if you live with your eyes open for opportunities to reach into someone’s broken places, God will show you exactly where he wants you to extend grace and kindness.
Christmas is still days away… it’s not too late!
I’m passionate about loving people in the middle of their hard times. If you or someone you love is going through a rough spot right now, I’d love to encourage you by offering you the first 3 chapters of my new book, Hope in the Hard Places. It doesn’t release until March 5, 2019, but you can get these chapters FREE by simply clicking here.