Thursday, December 22, 2011

Christmas Jars Story: 'I stood in my kitchen stunned and humbled'

Pineville, NC:

My husband was at work at the restaurant and I had just put our 17 month old baby girl down to bed. No sooner did I walk out of her room, exhausted from the day, did I hear the doorbell ring. I had no idea who would be at the house at 8pm, I wasn't expecting anyone. When I opened the door, no one was there. I looked down and saw a simple brown gift bag with a ribbon tied around the handle. I saw the top of a jar and thought maybe one of the neighborhood kids and their parents made something. I picked it up and noticed it was pretty heavy. When I set it down and pulled out the jar, expecting something like homemade applesauce or another goodie from the kitchen, I was surprised to find a plastic jar FULL of change! I stood in my kitchen stunned and humbled that someone would anonymously bless our family in such a way. I looked at the book and knew this was something special. Alone in my kitchen I started to cry at the wonder of this sweet gift. A few minutes later, I picked up the book again, after reading the back, flipped it open only to find a crisp $100 bill! I lost it and just stood there crying in my kitchen.

What I haven't said is that while God has been so faithful and always provided for us, my husband has been out of steady work for over a year, we have a wonderful 17 month old little girl and another baby due the end of February, along with our 5 year old chocolate lab. We have two homes, one is a rental, of which the tenant just informed us they will not be renewing their lease come February, leaving us to find another tenant or try and carry two mortgages on one and a half incomes. In order to help make ends meet, my husband has taken a job working weekend evenings at a nearby restaurant. While we've been able to pay all our bills, and even have a few dollars left over every now and then, it has been tight. We haven't gotten Christmas presents for each other or our daughter yet, but we were just trusting God it would all work out. He is faithful and has always taken care of us before, and we know He will continue to do so going forward. This Christmas Jar is proof of just that. We are going out of town tomorrow to visit with my husbands family, this was an amazing early Christmas present right on time!

Thank you to who ever so richly blessed us tonight, may you receive a greater blessing in return.

1 comment:

  1. I am the author of this post, I would also like to add that later that night when my husband came home and I showed him the bag with the jar, he also was stunned, but he noticed something I did not...a $50 bill rolled up inside the change jar!! It was the gift that kept giving. Thank you again to our sweet sweet angels that thought of us this year. May God richly bless you 100 times over. You have touched our lives in a way you could not imagine, and others, as we tell our story.

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