A Divine Encounter: Unwrapping the Greatest Gift of All

It’s a week before Christmas…are you ready? On a scale from one to ten, what is your stress level? Are you scurrying around to get everything wrapped and tied with a neat little bow? Or, are you sitting by a fire and sipping on a hot cup of coffee, tea or coco reading your Bible and preparing your heart for the greatest gift of all? For me, I wish it was the latter, but it always seems like I find myself racing around checking my list, crossing off all the “to dos” and preparing my home for all my family who will come bursting through the door soon!

Last week, in the midst of the chaos of the Christmas season and hopping from one errand to another, I had a divine encounter with a friend who I had not seen in years. When I noticed her shopping around in a store we were both in, I thought she looked familiar, but I did not take the time to say “hello” or reintroduce myself and went about the store shopping. She checked out before me and it seemed she recognized me as well, but in the rush of the season, I had a list and was eager to get to the next errand. It wasn’t until she walked out the door that I asked the salesperson, “what is her name?” When she told me, I immediately raced outside to find her…she had a story and we had history in that story!

Luckily, I caught her outside, gave her a big hug and asked her how she was doing. With tears welling [both of us] she mentioned that she was ready for 2025. It had been a hard year, and we proceeded to chat on the corner for a few minutes, how she lost her mom, I lost my dad… stories of unexpected loss and the “whys” of the world! As we reconnected, I felt like the Holy Spirit was prompting me to give her a new Angel Bible, the only one I had left in my studio. As I opened the doors and placed the Bible in her hand, more tears flowed. She had been wanting a new Bible and praying for the Lord to direct her to the right one! We sat and shared life for a while – the busyness and noise ceasing for a moment – and there was connection, fellowship, and hope in a broken world.

That is why Jesus came as a baby and grew as a man, dying on a cross for you and for me! He came so that we would have a relationship with Him, true fellowship with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Christmas is about unwrapping the greatest gift of all…and not only unwrapping Jesus, but truly knowing Him on an intimate level. That moment and Divine appointment truly refocused my attention on what is most important…and that is to know Him…to hear Him…to be intentional in all things giving Jesus all the glory and honor!