- Lana McCauley
Loved Specifically
Deceber 14
This is not actually a “Christmas Story”, but I always think of it as one. Because as my family gathers for the Holiday celebration, this story is always told. I hope you enjoy it.
My brother was about 10 years old and financially things had been a little rough for our family. My dad was working hard but some unexpected circumstances made money tight. Bills were getting paid which alone was by God's grace and provision but there wasn't much extra even for groceries.
My brother was a rather picky eater and his diet consisted of mostly peanut butter. One day we ran out and he informed my mom that she needed to buy more. My mom sat him down and told him that she didn't even have enough money for that. The conversation continued and ended with her challenging him to pray and ask Jesus to provide for this somehow. So my brother did that night before going to bed.
The next morning we got a phone call from an elderly neighbor saying she had over bought on several grocery items and wondered if we could use them...my mom did not hesitate to say “yes”. The neighbor continued to say that she also had this extra large jar of peanut butter. She said she had bought it several months ago and didn't know why because she had only used a spoonful of it. God knew! and had planned for this moment.
My mom hung up the phone and told my brother he needed to go pick this stuff up. You can imagine the excitement when he pulled out the large jar of peanut butter. But the story doens’t end there. Even though my brother would beg my mom to buy JIF, we usually had generic peanut butter due to our small budget. And yup, you guessed it, double excitement when that jar of peanut butter from the neighbor turned out to be JIF. My brother’s response was "Mom, God even got me JIF."
What a beautiful reminder to me that God sees me and love me uniquely. He is not just the giver of gifts but of the very best gifts.
Merry Christmas.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.