Christmas shopping season!
Up until now I have managed to stay relaxed. I told myself, “You have plenty of time until Christmas. No need to worry. In fact, you’ll probably get all your shopping done early.”
And now, it’s eight days until Christmas. Time for the annual panic.
This is where I sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime because I realize that even Amazon cannot produce a Christmas miracle for me. It’s the time where “the perfect gift, he’s gonna love it!” turns into “the passable gift, he knows it’s the thought that counts.”
I am reminded that, though my human efforts teeter somewhere between “fabulous” and “fail”, I serve God and He is the Great Provider.
I’ve been reading through my journals from our time in Eritrea. That was so long ago! Twenty-two years ago to the day, I wrote about God’s provision from Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22-34. You remember those passages? Phrases like: “Do not worry” and “Seek first His kingdom”.
Here’s what I wrote in my journal after visiting an Eritrean war veteran:
“Last night I went to visit Mlete and see her new ‘house’. She told me she lost her job five months ago. I had no idea! Dehab showed up for a visit as well. When she asked Mlete how she is handling it financially, she said, ‘God is providing. He is our leader.’
I pray that she will truly come to know Him.
She lives in a squashed housing area. Her sad little “front yard” is encased by discarded metal and wire, her front gate is the box-springs of a discarded baby bed. Her one room is better, though, than the traditional round, dirt floor house she lived in before. It is smaller, but seems to hold her stuff better. She has two children: Kohob and Favan. Her husband died in the Independence struggle. She seems to really miss him…”
In the midst of Christmas preparations, this journal entry jarred my mind back to reality. Shopping for gifts for my family and friends is not wrong. But it’s good to be reminded that earthly provisions are not the key to contentment.
I don’t know where Mlete is today. Her children are grown by now but the political climate in Eritrea has deteriorated so I don’t imagine that her living conditions have improved.
I wouldn’t be able to find Mlete now, even if I could go back to Eritrea. But many other people are in need around me here.
What about you?
How can you seek God first in the midst of Christmas busy-ness?
Is there a person in need that you can offer help to this Christmas season?