A BELL RINGERS EPIPHANY

A BELL RINGERS EPIPHANY
Friday, December 8, 2023 by Linda Wood Rondeau

Categories: devotional / TUESDAY'S TREASURE

NOTE TO SCAVENGERS ABOUT GLITCHES AND YOUR WORKAROUND.

We apologize for this inconvenience. Sometimes hiccups happen. You can still have fun and have a chance to win big!

Thank you so much for participating. I apologize for that issue. A fix has been requested.
The clue for #8 is "to all men. Jesus."
The link to #9 is https://sleuthsandsuspects.blogspot.com/2023/12/christmas-fiction-scavenger-hunt-stop-9.html
She has her clue and then the link back to Leagh's website so that you can enter the giveaway. Please be sure to click on the Rafflecopter link and complete to be entered.
Best of luck!

WELCOME TO THE CHRISTMAS FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT

If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to collect the clues through all the stops, in order (beginning here at Stop #1), so you can enter to win our grand prize! Each stop has a clue and then submit your answer to enter the giveaway at the last stop!

Stop links are at the end of this post. Be sure to read A Bell-Ringer’s Epiphany to find your hidden clue! I’m #6

If links do not work for any reason, contact dianaleaghmatthews@gmail.com

There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt--you have all weekend. So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; we hope that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them. The hunt ends on Monday, 12/11 at midnight EST.

Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!

ABOUT LINDA WOOD RONDEAU

Life is a school where God is our teacher.

He can change our worst past into our best future, a common theme in the author’s works inspired by her many years as a social worker. Her writing career has spanned beyond the printed page as a mentor, editor, teacher, and encourager. She and her husband currently reside in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The author is a breast cancer survivor and a recovering food addict. A Toastmasters graduate, she enjoys speaking to groups about her experiences as well as her writing life. You may contact her through her website, www.lindarondeau.com, on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linked In, or via Elk Lake Publishing.

A BELL-RINGER’S EPIPHANY

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

CHRISTMAS 2003

Nothing like being a bell ringer to bring about Christmas Spirit. Unlike the man pictured, I wondered why I had volunteered. Too many things to do. And I hate the cold. It gets into my bones until nothing can make me feel warm again.

I had offered to be a bell ringer for the Salvation Army’s Christmas drive. I bundled up and trekked to my station at the local grocery store. I donned the blue apron and picked up the emblem of my assignment, a small golden bell.

Then one by one the people came up to the little red bucket dropping in the change or dollars. Sometimes people felt like talking. Other times, they nodded and left. Still, others dropped their gift and scurried off to complete the sundry other tasks the season required of them.

“I brought you here to teach you something,” the Spirit said to my heart.

Not to be so quick to volunteer?

“No. I want you to study these people. Examine the way they give.”

And, I did. To my amazement, I learned the reasons for giving are as varied as the people who donate. Then I began to see similarities in people’s motivation. And, I wondered where my heart would fit among theirs.

The first lady gave from her sorrow.

CLUE IS: FOR THIS REASON

This was her first Christmas without her mother. Her father had passed away only a year before. Eyes brimming with tears, she pushed twenty dollars into the bucket. “My mother was a bell ringer,” she said. “Thank you for doing this.” Then she rushed off, uncomfortable with her emotions.

The Spirit spoke again: He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering (Isaiah 53:3)

The next person gave from his abundance.

His leather jacket and bulging wallet told all. He plopped a ten-dollar bill into the bucket, pleased with his generosity. He straightened his shoulders, proud of his offering, then left.

The Spirit spoke again: From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded: and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked (Luke 12:48).

An elderly woman approached. Her threadbare coat and raveled scarf told of her station in life. Her cart also bore testament to her poverty. She stopped before the red canister, pulled out a thin and worn wallet from her purse, and dropped in her last two coins. “Maybe this will bring me good fortune,” she said. She gave from her need, as if investing into generosity would bring better days.

The Spirit spoke still yet again: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Another elderly woman stopped by the kettle. Her head drooped from her heavy burden. She shrugged her shoulders, then reached into her purse for an assortment of change. “I don’t feel right if I pass by one of these drums and give nothing.” She trotted off, head slightly higher. Her giving well was a fountain of guilt.

The Spirit spoke anew: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me (Psalm 51:3).

Lastly, a young man eagerly approached the drum, much akin to Tigger’s Happy Bounce, and tossed his coins with a whistle. “I love this!” he said as he sailed out the door. “God’s been good to me. This is one way I can say, ‘Thank you.’” The young man gave from gratitude.

The Spirit spoke once more than fell silent: Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Then I knew what the Spirit wanted me to learn. Christmas is a time of giving. I analyzed my motivations. Do I give begrudgingly because it’s expected? Do I donate from a feeling of loss? Do I hope one day my giving will be multiplied? Do I fear what will happen if I do not give? I hope that from this day on my giving will be from a grateful heart to a Savior who came as the atonement for my sins.

What do you think is the true spirit of giving?

ABOUT LESSONS ALONG THE WAY

From the author of I Prayed for Patience: God Gave Me Children and Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt

Life is a series of adventures. And each adventure shows us more about our God … his power manifested or his gentle patience demonstrated.

God is with us through the mundane and the miraculous, always teaching us how to experience him fully and lean on him every day.

As in the hymn of old, God leads along—sometimes through troubled waters, sometimes through fire, and sometimes by quiet streams. Always, he is with us, directing us, guiding us, and teaching us what obedience, trust, and love truly mean.

Adapted from her long-running newspaper column, each devotional is a revelation of one of God’s many blessings.

Devotions to help you grow in your faith

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Here are the Stops

My stop is #6

#1 Diana Leagh Matthews

#2 Becky Van Vleet

#3 Whitney Ward

#4 Christina Sinisi

#5 Danielle Grandinetti Owen

#6 Linda Wood Rondeau

#7 Rebecca Price Janey

#8 Donna Wyland

#9 Heidi Glick

#10 Final Stop Rafflecopter entry form

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Comments

SARAH TAYLOR From ohio At 12/9/2023 12:47:55 AM

I am not finding the post for # 8 and#9

Reply by: Linda Wood Rondeau

email dianaleaghmatthews@gmail.com link at top of the article. There were a few glitches apparently for which I do not have the fix. She will make sure you get the clues and links.