I remember last Christmas so vividly. Every day I’d prayed that God would show me a vision for the year. And boy, did He deliver.
“Change.” One word, the vision for the year I felt God speaking to my heart exactly one year ago. “This year will bring change.”
And one year ago, as I rode in the passenger seat of our old Durango the thousands of miles from Arizona to Iowa for Christmas, I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams that I’d be riding in the passenger seat of our new Durango from our new home in New York to Iowa for Christmas.
Or that I’d have left my full-time job working for a nonprofit to start my own business freelance writing.
Or that Brian would also have a new job.
Or we’d have moved to the other side of the country.
OR THAT WE’D HAVE A BABY.
This Christmas he gave me another gift.
“I hear you. I see you. You’re where you’re supposed to be.” And He used a loaf of bread.
The first time I met the elderly lady two houses down, she mentioned that in one of the empty houses between us her friend had lived until she passed away this year.
We shoveled MaryAnne’s sidewalk, and she offered to teach me voice lessons for free! Something usually came up for our voice lessons, but I invited her over for lunch and tea each week. As Christmas approached, I found out that since she had never married and had no children, she didn’t have anyone to celebrate with. The day before our small Christmas as a family before traveling back to the Midwest for Christmas, I invited her to join us.
The next day, we finally had our first voice lesson. As I sang “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices” in the empty church, I felt a rekindling of hope in my own heart. That maybe all was as it should be.
That afternoon, I hurried through the grocery store, scanning the shelves for a gift. Popcorn or cookies didn’t seem right. Then I found it: a loaf of panettone, an Italian bread. Since MaryAnne’s grandparents had immigrated from Italy, it seemed perfect.
After dinner, we gathered around the tree to listen to the Christmas story and watch Edison open his gifts. He brought MaryAnne the loaf, and she began unwrapping it. “Panettone!” She stared, and I thought for a minute I’d done something wrong.
“It’s Italian! I thought…”
“My friend, who passed away this year … she gave me panettone each year for Christmas.”
We paused, in awe.
“God is amazing!” She said.
The verse came to mind: “God sets the lonely in families, He leads out the prisoners with singing.” (Pam 68:6)
God can use a loaf of bread to let you know that you’re not forgotten. He used that same loaf to tell me we’re right where we’re supposed to be.
What is it that your heart needs to hear this New Year? He hears you. He sees you. He’s amazing like that.
