When God Uses Our Lack
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
2002 started as a guilt-ridden Christmas but resulted in blessings our family will always cherish.
A month before the holidays, we feared our daughter would suffer the consequences of our bad choices. We’d depleted our savings and maxed out our credit cards.
What if our poor behavior robbed her of Christmas?
Through prayer, God made it clear we needed to change. He wanted first place in our hearts and asked us to purge those things, like materialism, that occupied His rightful place.
That November, we cut up our cards, tossed out our catalogs, and I set about making our daughter handmade gifts.
A couple weeks later, my husband arrived home with a large bag filled with stuffed animals, tags still on. These had been given to him by a coworker who knew nothing of our struggles. Through this, God provided the perfect gifts for our stuffed-animal loving daughter. But He did much more than that. He showed her that He saw her, loved her, and would provide for her through the most unexpected means.
He showed us that, as well.
God used our lack and unexpected blessings that Christmas to point us to the greatest gift of all, one that would outlast the season—Christ Himself
I don't know if God will provide for you in the same way He did for us, but I know He will always and only do what is for our best. We tend to focus on our immediate needs and desires, but God knows where true fulfillment and peace are found—in Him. Our relationship with Christ is a gift that will bring joy long after we've packed up our tinsel and decorations. Celebrate and enjoy Him.
Jennifer Slattery is a writer, editor, speaker, and the founder of Wholly Loved Ministries. She writes for Crosswalk, iBelieve is a multi-published author of Hometown Healing among other titles who also writes articles, Bible studies, and devotions. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall outings with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband. Visit her online at jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com or book her for your next women’s event.
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Originally published Tuesday, 17 December 2019.
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