You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way …

2 Corinthians 9:11

Facing my first Christmas alone was a struggle. The joy wasn’t there. One evening my doorbell rang and I was greeted by a strange man holding some boxes. He said that he’d been asked to deliver them to me, and with a smile he quickly turned and left. Instructions were included telling me to open the first package marked #1 on December 1. I was to open a gift a day in the order they were marked and on December 25 the giver would be revealed. Each day was a fun surprise! One gift was a cross with the verse, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). It reminds me each day that I’m never alone.

My giver, revealed on December 25, was my nephew and family. Their caring actions brightened my Christmas!

Clare Hilgendorf
Appleton, WI

Lord, help me to be more aware of the needs of those around me. Amen.

Reflect: Think of ways to serve others with kind and caring actions.

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:9 and Proverbs 11:24