The Christmas Stockings

Verbal abuse is horrible and usually explosive! Sometimes it’s just the words that come barreling out of a mouth that can take on a different meaning than the way they were intended. Someone always gets hurt. The pain may be unintentional, but it stings nevertheless.

The Bible tells us that the tongue can be a very poisonous member of our body (see James 3:8). Do we choose our words and our actions carefully? Do we speak, but do so without thinking first? Do we always act impulsively?

I’m sure that we have all said things we regretted after it was too late. Speaking without forethought and taking action without contemplation can result in terrible abuses.

Alcohol and drugs can have a detrimental effect on the body and the mind. Often the abusers are also physical. There is great pain and scars left behind upon others in the their path.

Why can’t we be more like the Holy Spirit? If we are saved by God, then God is within us, and we are to be gentle, kind, and loving with self-control. If we are not saved, then we need to find our salvation through God’s holy, loving grace.

“… The Holy Spirit produced this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23)

When abuses occur, we must seek God. We need to lean on the Rock and truly only the Rock, who holds the foundation of the earth together. He keeps us from sinking sand. The Rock is Jesus Christ. He is also God, our Heavenly Father.

“My God is my Rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.
He is my refuge, my Savior, the One who saves me from violence.” (2 Samuel 22:3)

By now, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with Christmas stockings. A few years ago, I saw a post on Facebook about a knitting group that knits slippers for children and their mothers who have been through domestic violence.

Just reading about this group and what they have been doing really touched my heart. Furthermore, slippers caused me to think about stockings. I prayed to God, as my thoughts developed into an idea, and then a plan was formed.

I approached my church through the pastor’s daughter about the idea of doing something similar for a local shelter of domestic violence for mothers and their children, that is, if I could find one in time. Instead of knitting slippers, I’d purchase some Christmas stockings and we could ask the women of the church to donate items to fill them. The pastor agreed that if I could organize this plan quickly, then we could do it. Christmas was fast approaching.

The idea grew from there, as we decided to host a Women’s Ministry meeting through the church at my home. We could then fill all the stockings for the children while praying for children and their parents that would be in the shelter that year during Christmas.

Surprisingly, I was able to quickly find a shelter in time and make all the arrangements. When God has a plan that he plants in your heart, miracles occur, and the plans came together with ease.

The pastor announced the plan to the church, and we passed out fliers that I had typed up, asking the women for donations and inviting them to join the Women’s Ministry event.

The shelter provided me with a list of how many girls and boys were presently at the shelter, along with their ages, and the total number of moms. We had already begun collecting a few stocking stuffers the first week after the announcement.

Then the pastor announced that we were going to “go big” and ask the whole church to get involved (the men, too). As small as the church was at the time (with an average of about 50 people), we collected a huge amount of donations.

I began to get a little concerned because the collections were more big gifts than they were stocking stuffers! That’s when I realized that I was beginning to worry. I had to stop and trust God through prayer.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.” (Philippians 4:6)

God answered our prayers, of course, by having more than enough of everything! We had plenty of stocking stuffers and gifts galore! We had lots of items for both the kids and the moms. In fact, we had so many donations that we were able to touch the hearts beyond those in the shelter.

As Christmas Day approached, there would be more families that would be affected by domestic violence each year. These kids and their moms would be housed in the emergency hotel/motel program funded by the shelter program. Those kids and their moms, who weren’t even there yet, had gifts awaiting their arrival!

A friend who saw the pictures (below) said it looked just like “the fishes and the loaves of bread that Jesus miraculously multiplied.” Thanks be to our God!

For those who experience the horrible abuses, God tells us that it doesn’t go without something good coming from it.

“But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

Until we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.

God’s Word for Today: I pray this will be said of everything I do for God in my life, as I want to glorify Him and help others know how much He loves each and every one of us. “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!“