The Christmas Tree: A Story Of Synchronicity
Stories
Sharing Visions
Divine Revelations, Angels, And Holy Coincidences
It was a week before Christmas. Both my husband and I are pastors, at different churches, and life was hectic. My family had agreed not to get a Christmas tree this year, because our schedules didn't allow us to enjoy it anyway, and we would be gone on vacation beginning on Christmas Day.
But for some reason my eyes were drawn to the ad on my church's bulletin board for the Lion's Club Christmas Tree Sale every time I passed it in the hall. Finally, on December 23, I gave in and went down the street to the sale. I introduced myself to the volunteer Lion's Club member at the cash register and confessed my inability to get his sale out of my mind. He sat up straight, with an excited look on his face. "Oh, do you know of a family who could use our help? We usually take care of Christmas for a couple of families a year. We get gifts for everybody in the family, a Christmas tree, food basket, the whole thing. But this year we just couldn't get the cooperation from the town. They didn't give us any names. Do you know anybody?"
A family from the community, who probably hadn't sought or received any help, came to mind. They were very independent, private people, and worked hard to support their four children. The past year, though, had been full of illness for both of the parents, and there was nothing extra for a Christmas celebration. I gave the Lion's Club member their name and address, took a tree home, and thought nothing more of it.
A couple of weeks later, my husband happened to run into the mother of this family. As it turns out, during the week before Christmas she had been having an extremely difficult time, to the point where she felt everyone would be better off without her. On the very night she planned to commit suicide, the doorbell rang. The Lion's Club came in with Christmas for the family.
She told my husband, "I knew then that God was watching out for us, and we would make it through this rough time."
Was it a coincidence that I was oddly drawn to that ad for the Christmas Tree Sale at the very time the salesperson was seeking a family to help, and the family I thought of to help happened to include a person who needed hope and faith restored? Or was this the active hand of God, granting this woman hope during a time of hopelessness? I vote for the latter.
But for some reason my eyes were drawn to the ad on my church's bulletin board for the Lion's Club Christmas Tree Sale every time I passed it in the hall. Finally, on December 23, I gave in and went down the street to the sale. I introduced myself to the volunteer Lion's Club member at the cash register and confessed my inability to get his sale out of my mind. He sat up straight, with an excited look on his face. "Oh, do you know of a family who could use our help? We usually take care of Christmas for a couple of families a year. We get gifts for everybody in the family, a Christmas tree, food basket, the whole thing. But this year we just couldn't get the cooperation from the town. They didn't give us any names. Do you know anybody?"
A family from the community, who probably hadn't sought or received any help, came to mind. They were very independent, private people, and worked hard to support their four children. The past year, though, had been full of illness for both of the parents, and there was nothing extra for a Christmas celebration. I gave the Lion's Club member their name and address, took a tree home, and thought nothing more of it.
A couple of weeks later, my husband happened to run into the mother of this family. As it turns out, during the week before Christmas she had been having an extremely difficult time, to the point where she felt everyone would be better off without her. On the very night she planned to commit suicide, the doorbell rang. The Lion's Club came in with Christmas for the family.
She told my husband, "I knew then that God was watching out for us, and we would make it through this rough time."
Was it a coincidence that I was oddly drawn to that ad for the Christmas Tree Sale at the very time the salesperson was seeking a family to help, and the family I thought of to help happened to include a person who needed hope and faith restored? Or was this the active hand of God, granting this woman hope during a time of hopelessness? I vote for the latter.
