A Gift for Christmas

Holidays are still difficult for us as a family. It's hard to figure out how to navigate our way through them in the midst of working out our grief. It's very easy to get focused on loss and miss the good that is still there.

God gave us a gift for Christmas to help us get through it and experience some joy. I'm absolutely convinced the gift came from his hand to help us find our way.

The gift was a person: My daughter, Samantha, brought home a student from another country during vacation - Shahd.

The family she lives with at OSU got a surprise gift of a trip to another country and her roommate was going back home, which would leave her alone for three weeks on vacation. So she joined us for the holidays. It was so nice to have her with us - and in a very short time I felt like she was part of our family.

I believe:

By God's hand Shahd and Sam become friends over the few months.
By God's hand she needed somewhere to stay.
By God's spirit Samantha invited her to come stay with us.
By God's spirit Shahd agreed to come.
By God's spirit we came to think of her as part of our family in a very short time.

Do I think God always sets things up for me so I will be happy? No - but in some cases I think he makes that choice. I don't claim to know how he works, I can only see the outcomes.

God, thank you for Samantha and her willingness to reach out to someone. Thank you for Shahd and her time with us this Christmas. Thank you for taking care of all of us.

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Sundays | God will set things right – I want to join him

- For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever

- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

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