A Blessed Shopping Trip

Christmas is a time of "miracles". There are innumerable accounts of amazing things happening at this time of the year. I'm not going to mock God by saying that he "turns up the power" during the holiday season. As the Bible says God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The reason His blessings are noted more at Christmas is because people are paying more attention to Him. It's a more "spiritual" time of the year. People are more romantic at Christmas. That's when God and His blessings suddenly become visible and are romanticized for human purposes. Ironically the acknowledgement of God at this time of year is really sin of denial of his ultimate and constant power.

I want to relate to you the story of a small but genuine blessing God bestowed upon my sister, Shari, and my niece, Teejai, while shopping this holiday weekend. The details may not be completely accurate (I'm telling this second hand as it was told to me) but they are relative to the story's wonderful ending.

Teejai is 12 years old and a middle school student. This past weekend Shari took her shopping for a dress to wear to an upcoming school dance called "The Snow Ball."Anyone who has ever had a preteen or teenage daughter can probably identify with this situation. This expense is not one a parent normally anticipates at this time of the year.

Shari wanted the experience to be a pleasant one. But a limited budget and potential differing opinion's of the "right dress" threatened to make it otherwise. With only $30 to spend my sister feared the task would be a down right disaster. She cast her worries up to God in the form of a small prayer as they went into the first of ,potentially, many stores.

The mother-daughter team searched for a dress they both liked and found one rather quickly. It was $34. A little over budget but Shari had a 15% off coupon. That would make a difference.

However the style of the dress required an over-the-shoulder shrug. They found one for $12. If necessary, Shari could spend a little more than she initially wanted to. In addition to the dress, shoes were needed. A $19 pair was found on sale for $14.99. The ensemble needed an accent necklace which was $6. It was the perfect accessory.

As they headed to the checkout counter Shari did some calculations in her head. Their purchase would add up to more than double the original budget. Despite the hope of the 15% off coupon Shari would be spending more than she had anticipated. She didn't mind. She wanted Teejai look nice to go to the dance; but wasn't sure where the extra money to cover the cost was going to come from. We've all been there.

As the store clerk scanned their items, Shari again said a little prayer to The Lord as she gave the girl the coupon. The cashier spent, what seemed to be, an eternity looking over the coupon carefully. A fear of being told she couldn't use the coupon gripped Shari's mind. She just knew she was going to have to pay full price for everything; more than double her budget.

When the register total button was pushed the clerk announced that their total was $29 and some change. It was UNDER $30. How could that be? My sister questioned the total and the clerk told her that in addition to the 15% off with the coupon all items in the store were on sale; 40% off. That was an additional 40% off.

"Mom are you all right?" Teejai asked as she saw Shari's eyes well up with tears. Shari paid the bill realizing that God had given her her first blessing of the Christmas season. Worried about it from the start, for my sister, it turned out to be a shopping trip she will never forget.

I called my sister and asked her if I could post this shopping trip story and she told me "Yes". She said it was an awesome experience and "shows that God is involved every detail of our lives; even the small things.".

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 that God know the details of our lives down to the number of hairs on our heads. In Psalms 139:3 David directs his writings toward God: "You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways." God knows us and loves us so much that he pays attention to our every detail of our lives.

This shopping story is typical of the way God blesses His children in everyday life. As Romans 8:28 assures us: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. That's a frequently quoted verse but its familiarity doesn't effect it's degree of truth.

The shopping trip may not have been a life changing event but it did reflect and help make God's love real in the lives of my sister and my niece.

I pray that you will begin to pay more attention to and give thanks with a grateful heart the everyday blessing God brings to your life no matter the size. My goal is to do this a lot more myself; not only during the Christmas season but every day of the up coming year.