I’m going to do it with my children after school today and I can’t wait! It started back in July…

We had breakfast plans with friends at one of our favorite restaurants. Finances were extremely tight and I woke up in the middle of the night worried about spending the little money we had on a luxury like eating out. Laying in the dark I talked with the Lord about it. “How are we going to pay for breakfast and cover the other expenses of the day? Should we call our friends and cancel?” There was no voice from Heaven, but I did have a quiet sense that He would take care of it and that we were to go to breakfast.

The next morning I debated, ‘Should I just order coffee and keep the bill down?’ Again, the quiet voice spoke to my heart, ‘I said, “Go to breakfast” not “coffee”!’ I gave in and ordered what my taste buds had been dreaming of, a Vern’s cinnamon roll, 2 eggs and coffee.

I’m still in awe of what happened next. The waitress came to tell us that a man had just paid our bill! We couldn’t believe it! An anonymous person (or couple) paid for all eight of us! To this day we have no idea who the gift giver was, but we will never forget the lessons learned.

• I was willing to settle for coffee when God wanted to give me one of the best cinnamon rolls in America! When God tells us to trust Him we can be sure He has a plan for providing what we need. I would’ve missed out on His blessing if I ignored His voice and only ordered coffee.
• Our kids saw God provide in a unique and totally unexpected way. I wish you could’ve seen the look on their faces! They’ve seen Him provide for our needs many times, but this gift was simply because He loves us and wants to give us good gifts. It reinforced the reality that God is a Personal God and He is intimately involved in our life.

Today my kids and I are going to a local pastry hangout and asking the Lord to show us who needs a gift from Him, through us. We’re so excited! I’ll tell you how it goes!

What about you? How are you giving gifts of God’s love this Christmas?

For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16  NLT