The Christmas Gift
- By candidasullivan
- December 15, 2011
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Two years ago, God gave me a simple letter to share with my family and friends. He blessed me to write it and tell of His greatness and the love and peace in my heart. However, I never shared it. I allowed fear to paralyze me. I allowed the devil to steal my special blessing and therefore, suffered the wrath of my Lord.
That was the absolute worst Christmas of my life. I was terribly sick, and laid in my sick bed two weeks prior to Christmas. The doctors couldn’t help me and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. I prayed continuously for God to help me, but He ignored me. And then when I was weak and broken, He showed me the reason for my sickness and gave me some time to think about it. I learned God will not tolerate disobedience. He knows exactly what it will take to make us obey His will.
Last Christmas, when the letter stirred in my heart again, the desire to write it and serve my Lord was greater than the fear. God blessed me to write a beautiful letter and showed me how He could use me for His honor and glory. He blessed me with each word recorded. He blessed me with each letter forwarded. He also blessed me to receive beautiful messages and comments from my family and friends. With every tear and blessing, I realized how to write for my Lord and how to listen to His still, small voice. I realized that people would like what I wrote, not so much the words but the power behind them. There was such a desire, in the depths of my soul, to give something wonderfully special that year to everyone.
That Christmas letter marked a tremendous milestone for me. It was the first time I had actually shared the writings of my heart with a multitude of people. It set me up a stone for future endeavors. The praise and love from my family and friends helped me to start my blog and take the next step in my writing journey.
And now as I prepare for my Book Release Party, I’m awed at God’s beautiful blessings. I love it when He takes me back and shows me this has been part of His plan all along. I love how He has been preparing me for this moment. I love the feeling I get when I hold my books in my hands and the humbleness that comes over me as I sign my name inside. I love the prayers God blesses me to whisper for the receiver of my books. I love the feeling deep down in my heart as I give the books to those who support and love me. I love the comments and realization that they have already touched many hearts. I love that everyone knows they come from God and hold His blessings.
When you open the books and see my signature, I pray you feel the love in which I signed my name—just for you. I hope you know that I prayed about what would be signed and followed my heart. I pray you feel the words and hold them close to your heart. I pray you know how special you are to me and how much I appreciate your support and love.
I love the wonderful feeling of giving. It gives me a little of glimpse of how God must have felt when He gave His Son for us. I can’t even imagine how wonderful it must be for Him every single time He gives eternal life to a lost soul. I can’t imagine the beauty of comforting a troubled heart or giving blessings to His children.
We should all strive to be a giver. We should all strive to give good gifts (that money cannot buy) to our loved ones. We should all strive to give without expecting anything in return. We should all take the time to remember why we celebrate Christmas and explore the meaning in our hearts. We should take a moment to thank God for His beautiful gift and tell others about its greatness. We should try everyday to shine our light in a cold, darken world. We should take a moment every now and then, and remember how we felt the day God saved our soul. That is the absolute best gift of all.
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