by Leah Stirewalt

My daughter and I were stumped.

We had just opened the front door to find gifts for both of us with a note that said something to the effect that we were to expect surprises each day on our front porch leading up to Christmas. It wasn’t signed, and we had no idea who was behind this blessing. Without fail, our “secret elf” continued to show up and leave surprises for us to find the next morning. Being a natural-born detective, of
sorts, I tried to solve the mystery.

I would carefully listen for someone to arrive. I would peer out the windows late into the evening, but I could never catch our good Samaritan.

Eventually, Holy Spirit got my attention and reminded me to allow the surprise to simply
be a surprise. If the person (or persons) wanted to be known, they would have made
themselves known.

This became a very special Christmas for us, especially when it was gearing up to be
anything but that. You see, it was my first Christmas as a 39-year-old widow. After my
husband’s death seven months prior, I’d gone through many “firsts” and was dreading
Christmas. Interestingly, the simple task of looking for the daily blessings on our front
porch began to replace the dread with measures of joy. That Christmas ended up being
one of my favorites due to the sheer fact that I felt loved and cared for at a time I
needed it most.

Isn’t it interesting how God repeatedly calls His people to care for widows (among
others)? Why so much focus on widows?
— It demonstrates compassion and love (John 13:34-35).
— It illustrates acts of justice (Isaiah 1:17).
— It displays pure faith (James 1:27).
— It reflects God’s character (Psalm 68:5).

During this holiday season, I encourage you to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the
vulnerable around you. It might not be a widow, but perhaps it’s a family caring for foster
children or someone going through cancer treatments. Maybe you know someone who
has a loved one in prison or who is grieving the loss of a child. Your blessing doesn’t
even have to be tangible. Perhaps someone is experiencing extreme loneliness, and
what they need most is a friend willing to spend time with them.

Allow God, through His Spirit, to reveal someone to you and show you how to bless
them. He knows them and what they need more than we do. Ultimately, I anticipate you
will be blessed in ways you never imagined simply by obeying what God has asked us
all to do.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and
widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. ~James 1:27 (NLT)