Diane Roberts Advent Devotional

Psalm 80:1-7

Restore us, God Almighty, make your face shine on us that we may be saved. (Psalm 80:3, 7)

The snow in the front yard looked like something from a Christmas card, but I barely saw it. I was focused on the man shoveling snow. He was working furiously, attacking the snow as if its falling was a personal affront. Winter had descended early, and we felt it through more than just the bitter cold and heavy snow. The elements only made it harder to bear.

In early November, instead of gifting employees something like a Thanksgiving turkey, the company fired Easel and 400 other people. They were fired, not because of anything they had done, but because people in the upper echelons of the company chose to do illegal things that sent shockwaves through the company. We were facing the holiday season, something I had always loved, with fear. We agreed that we needed to watch our spending and hope that our toddler and preschooler wouldn’t notice a meager Christmas. We were determined to get through this, though we had no idea how that would happen.

This was the winter I learned that there are two sides to giving. I have often had the opportunity to give to people who will never know that I am the one who provided the gift. I love giving to others and I don’t need to get “credit” for doing it. I enjoy positive response, but often, it is more about meeting a need than gaining praise. On the other hand, at this time of my life, I had not been good about being the recipient of kindness.

“I don’t need anything. I’m fine!”

Suddenly, it wasn’t just me who needed help. It was all of us and particularly our children. Surviving on unemployment checks while job hunting during the holiday season seemed an impossible task. I cried to God for help because I didn’t know where to turn. We had no family near us, and my pride prevented me from talking in detail about our situation with friends.

Then, two things happened. One day, my doorbell rang and a friend stood on the doorstep with a brown paper shopping bag in her arms. She said, “My freezer broke down and this meat will not keep. Could you do me a favor and take it?” I just knew there was nothing wrong with her freezer, but I swallowed my pride and replied that I could take care of it. The second thing, was an anonymous note that appeared with a one hundred dollar bill in it. The note said, “Have a Merry Christmas!” We were overwhelmed with surprise, but we did have a much better Christmas than we had expected. The boys had presents to unwrap—mostly necessities but they were “presents” and the boys had a great time unwrapping them.

We survived this season. Easel got another job and our life moved on. I learned to depend on God and God’s love and willingness to provide for us. There was no “manna” from heaven but there were people moved by God to help our family get through a difficult time. In Psalm 80, verses 3 and 7 say, “Restore us, God Almighty, make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” That was my prayer and that is what God did.