The first Christmas I spent away from my family was also my first Christmas walking with the Lord. I was living in Needham, Massachusetts. Having grown up in the deep south, my assignment to Boston out of college couldn’t have been more exotic if it’d been Mars.

I arrived in early October. The beauty of the colored leaves intoxicated me. I loved the quaint town with its mixture of Victorian houses and small clapboard homes. The locals’ accents fascinated me. One student, named Barbara O’Conner, introduced herself as “Barba-er O’Connah.”

My ministry team consisted of seven young single men and women. We became fast friends.

I’d planned to return home for Christmas. But our national director asked everyone to remain at his or her assignment to prepare for the conference that began the day after Christmas.

The Lord prepared my heart for this change in plans. I was actually excited to experience a New England Christmas. Since Boston winters were much colder than Savannah winters, I wanted the perks of a New England Christmas. I asked the Lord for a white Christmas.

Boston natives groaned at my mention of snow. “We don’t want to travel in snow,” they said. So, I asked the Lord to grant my friends safe travel and then bring snow.

Christmas Eve arrived with no hint of snow. The guys on our team came over to our house, and we laughed late into the night. At 2 a.m., I climbed into bed—still no sign of snow.

Christmas morning my housemate Candi padded into my bedroom and wished me a Merry Christmas. “You wanna see our white Christmas?” I joked.

I lifted the shade and gasped. Six inches of marshmallow cream glistened in the morning sun—a living Christmas card!

We squealed and rushed to dress. The guys showed up with sleds, and we romped like kids.

A widow, who’d hosted my housemate and me in her beautiful Victorian home before we’d found our house, joined us for dinner. My first turkey smelled and tasted amazing. In the evening, we gathered in our small living room and thanked God for His gift of Jesus and His forever family. It was a holy moment.

Instead of feeling homesick being hundreds of miles away from friends and family, I felt full and loved. God granted not only the desires of my heart, He protected my friends’ travel.

[bctt tweet=”Instead of feeling homesick being hundreds of miles away from friends and family, I felt full and #loved. God granted not only the desires of my heart, He protected my friends’ travel. #RechargeWednesday” username=”PatHolbrook”]

Perhaps not bringing expectations into Christmas that year freed me to recognize and enjoy the treasures that matter most. And God granting me a perfect white Christmas reminded me that He knows and cares about my heart’s desires.

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NIV)


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[bctt tweet=”LINKUP is open! Maybe this year’s Christmas comes with unmet expectations… maybe even disappointments. This week, my friend @DebbieWWilson shares about God’s love and care through it all. Join us & share your blog!” username=”PatHolbrook”]

 

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