That was a tough time. Years earlier, I had quit college to get married. Now, every job I was looking at required a college education. We sank low quickly. My dad had left an old station wagon to my wife but I communed everywhere on bike. We were all alone with my parents gone as well as my youngest brother and no one to really help us. My oldest brother gave us $20 bucks, as well as boxes of toys that were headed to the trash. I remember choosing between paying our tithes, which were almost twenty dollars, or paying the light bill. We chose faithfulness, and paid the tithes. A few weeks later, my mother-in-law also gave us twenty dollars. With the money we bought our three kids $2.00 sneakers and ‘splurged’ $3.00 on a pair for my wife. We were ‘rich’ with money to spare.
However, reluctantly, we applied for Food Stamps and Welfare.
That Christmas, I built a fireplace out of plywood. I took out the kids’ old toys, cleaned them up, & added the ones my brother had given them. I placed all the toys around the fireplace. They were thrilled to see ‘so many new toys.’ Of course, our hearts were braking because we knew better and we didn’t have any answers. We just wanted three happy kids.
We know that the first real Christmas when God gave us His son, Jesus, was the saddest Christmas ever. The Godhead, also known as the Trinity, which has existed for all eternity, had been separated for the first time ever. The King of Kings was born into dire poverty and His parents were not only unable to afford toys, but they didn’t even have a place to call home. Deity’s grand entrance into this sinful world; the one He created with love for this hurt and hate-filled, people, was pretty much homeless. The fact that our sad Christmas was not as bad as our Lord’s, was enough to add some encouragement to our lives.
No matter how sad or bad your Christmas may be, God can relate to it. He can make it better than it is. Just allow Him. Allow His presence into your life to be your Christmas present.
Merry Christmas!