Christmas 2009 was unlike any other Christmas I have had. As usual, it was busy and I had a lot going on. As usual, it was important to me to buy gifts for the people I love to show them how much I love them.
What was unusual about this Christmas was our financial situation. Money has always been tight for our family. My husband works full time for the state and we rely almost entirely on his income. I teach one class at OU that brings home a few hundred dollars a month. But this year, we have had more expenses.
God has always come through for us just in the nick of time. Last Christmas, we were blessed to have some unexpected income from my grandparent's estate. The Christmas before, we charged Christmas. But this year, we were committed to following our plan of not going into debt.
We also found out in November that our furnace was going out. It is going to be a complicated replacement that involves getting a new hot water heater, too. We knew that this was going to cost us several thousand dollars that we don't have, which meant we would be going into debt. Money was tighter than ever.
The money we had saved for Christmas had been spent throughout the year and we weren't sure how Christmas was going to happen. So, even though I have been able to stay at home with my boys for the last 6 years, I knew I needed to get a part-time job.
I was extremely blessed to be hired at a local Christian store. The manager there worked around my schedule as much as possible, but I still ended up working between 20-30 hours per week. I started the weekend before Thanksgiving.
To make matters worse, the Monday before Thanksgiving, I went out for a run and came home with a broken foot. Luckily the awesome staff at my job allowed me to sit on a stool when I wasn't assisting a customer.
Besides my part-time job, keeping up with my family during a very busy time of year, finishing my semester in graduate school, and finishing the class I was teaching, my friends and I also were raising money for a local non profit agency through an online bake sale. I was responsible for a lot of that project, which kept me busy every waking moment.
The week before Christmas, I had an intense work schedule, our fund raiser was at its peak, my kids were missing me, my foot was sore and I was tired. I felt spread too thin. I felt like I had so much that I was doing that I wasn't doing any of it well. After a frustrating day at work, I was driving home in tears telling God that I couldn't possibly be serving Him well or even at all feeling this way. I was discouraged and unsure how I was going to keep up the pace. I was ready to walk away from all of my responsibilities. And as I told God all of this, He was silent. I felt frustrated, alone and far from God.
The next day at work was our busiest day yet. I didn't have many opportunities to rest my foot. But fortunately, God sent in several friends that encouraged me throughout the day. One friend that I had made in Bible study was checking out in my line and asked me why I was working. I told her that I needed to make extra money for Christmas so my family could have a nice Christmas. She knew that I had given up the Bible study that I had gone to for years to take this job.
As she was leaving, I admired her purse. I am a shoe and purse kind of girl, so I frequently admired my customers accessories. She thanked me but said it was kind of heavy, especially when she filled it up.
She left and I continued serving my customers. There was a line all day. I was surprised about an hour later when she walked back into the store. I thought she must have forgotten something she came in for the first time. I still had a line of customers I was helping so I didn't get to say hi to her.
As I was busy with my customers, I noticed her walking around the counter and setting down her purse at my feet. My first thought was that she wanted me to hold the heavy purse while she shopped, so I didn't say anything. But then I watched as she started to leave the store.
I shouted after her, "Wait! What are you doing?" And she looked back over her shoulder and waved as she scurried out the door and said, "God told me to!"
I was so moved. This friend didn't know my situation. She didn't even see my broken foot. She didn't know about my schedule or my stress and she certainly didn't know about the frustration and loneliness I had been feeling. But she listened to God when he told her to give me her purse. Her beautiful brown Italian leather and elaborately stitched purse. I couldn't have chosen a purse in a store that I loved more that this purse.
I fought back tears as I continued to wait on my customers. They must have thought I was a head case! But I didn't care. God had blessed me through this sweet, sweet friend who was obedient to His call.
Finally, my line died down after about 15 minutes, and I had the chance to look at the purse. I picked it up and imagined how she must have dumped the contents out in her car so she could bring it back for me.
And then I opened it up and saw a sealed white envelope sitting inside with the words, "Because He said so!" written in blue ink. My heart skipped a beat as I gently opened the seal to see a $100 bill inside.
The tears really started then. I was too overwhelmed to do much of anything. I waited on my customers through tears and big gulps so I could hold back the big cry of thankfulness that was about to explode from my heart.
Finally I was finished for the day and cried all the way home. This time the tears were tears of joy. God had answered my questions to Him with a purse and a $100 bill. He was reminding me that He was with me, taking care of me, providing for me in unthinkable ways and even blessing me for my obedience.
As I shared this story with my eight-year-old son, I was able to tell Him how God is ALWAYS with us. He is always watching out for us and providing for all of our needs, even when we feel frustrated and alone. He always hears our prayers and he uses all kinds of people to remind us that He is in control.
That purse and that gift mean so much more to me than just a purse or just some money. They are tangible evidence that my God loves me and is with me and is providing for me in every way. I am so grateful to my friend for her thoughtfulness and I know she, too, will be blessed for her obedience.
My Christmas purse was the best Christmas present I have ever been given.
