A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS

A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 by MARTIN WILES

PLEASE WELCOME

MARTIN WILES

DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY

Rarely did Santa bring Mom what she wanted for Christmas, but one Christmas he did.

Mom and her sister grew up daughters of a dirt-poor farmer who attempted to eke out a living from the sandy soil near Vance, South Carolina. My granddaddy repeatedly reminded Mom and her sister how lean times were. In fact, it seemed that’s all he talked about. She wondered whether there were any years that weren’t lean, but the family never heard about abundance—only poverty.

Until one Christmas arrived that was different from any Mom had experienced before. One that made her feel like a rich person’s daughter.

Every Christmas, Mom’s family gathered with other families from the community and converged on Gerizim United Methodist Church to await Santa’s arrival. Mom, along with the other children, sat on Santa’s bulging lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas—even though Mom never believed she would get it.

Year after year, Mom’s Christmas wish was the same: a baby doll. All her friends had at least one. She couldn’t understand why her father couldn’t scrape together enough money to get her one too. So this particular year, Mom told Santa what she had told him numerous times before.

“What’s your name little girl,” Santa whispered.

“Elsie Lee Martin.”

“And what would you like Santa to bring you for Christmas?”

“I want a baby doll. All my friends have one, and I want one too.”

“Have you been a good little girl?” Santa queried.

“Oh yes.”

Surely this would be the year Santa would grant the wish she had made so many times before. When the first rays of daylight peeked through her bedroom window on Christmas morning, little Elsie jumped up and made her way to the Christmas tree. There it was. A box that seemed the right size for a baby doll, wrapped in paper a poor farmer’s wife would use.

She tore into the paper and could hardly believe what she saw. Santa had granted her wish. A beautiful small baby doll lay in the box. It was all she had ever wanted but never received. She couldn’t wait to play with it. Why not turn the box into a stroller, she imagined. And she did. After carefully cutting two holes in the box, she inserted a cord and instantly had a stroller. It was the only year Mom received a doll baby.

Just as one doll baby made a tremendous difference in my mother’s life, so did a real child who was born to Mary and Joseph. He brought joy to shepherds living in the fields, to wise men living afar, and to people worldwide. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6 NLT).

Jesus’ birth has changed the lives of millions of people and continues to do so. He was God’s ultimate Christmas present to the world.

Never underestimate the potential of even the smallest of gifts.

ABOUT MARTIN WILES

Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, minister, and author who serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions and as a proof-editor for Courier Publishing. He is the author of six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, A Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapades in a Busy World, released in December 2019.

ABOUT A WHISPER IN THE WOODS

Whisper in the Woods: Quiet Escapes in a Noisy World was birthed from Martin Wiles' numerous treks with his two children and his middle brother in mountainous areas on the eastern coast of the United States. Through these hiking and camping experiences, God taught him valuable lessons that have seen him through many difficult life experiences.

Martin's weekly devotionals found in A Whisper in the Woods take the reader out of the noise that often accompanies living in this world and into the quiet escapades of wooded areas where the voice of God is more clearly heard.

As you walk with Martin through the mountain valleys and over the high summits, you too will hear God whisper words of comfort to you.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Whisper-Woods-Quiet-Escapes-Noisy/dp/1620208652

Share This Blog: