God does not let himself be outdone in generosity and He surprises us with His providence. This is confirmed by the experience of Urs, from Switzerland: a gesture made out of love can have many positive effects.
I was invited to celebrate Christmas Eve with my two brothers and their wives.
I wanted to give each of them a present, but there was no money. So, I placed my wish into God’s hands.
A few days ago, our friend Peter, a pastor in the Reformed Church, invited us to his parish community to make candles out of beeswax. It is a tradition in many places here, but I had never been involved. I went with the others to make my candle and, to my surprise, I saw that it was beautiful. I remembered that my younger brother’s wife is a candle enthusiast. The first gift was ready!
Every now and then I go and help out in a small company run by my friends, especially when they have to prepare a shipment and are under pressure. The last time I helped, a couple of weeks ago, during a break, I looked in the warehouse among the items they sell and I found a nice box full of notebooks: one a phone book, another a diary, etc … They were very beautiful. I asked the price, but it was beyond what I could afford. So, I continued preparing the shipment. It was an intense day of work. In the end I was tired, but happy to have lent a hand. When I was leaving, the person in charge gave me a bag thanking me for the help I had given during the year. I opened the bag and I was almost in tears: it was the box with those notepads. The gift for my older brother was ready!
A few days ago, a friend gave me an envelope with money: He said: “It’s for you – for your personal needs”. Since it was the day of the Christmas market in our village, I went to have a look, but the prices seemed exaggerated. Before I left, I discovered the stand of a farmer who produced organic vinegar enriched with ginger, just what my older brother’s wife likes. It was packaged in a nice little bottle and the money I received was just enough to buy it. Another little gift was ready!
When I got home, a friend tells me that he has received a leather briefcase, which he doesn’t need because he already has one and asks me if I could use it. So, I thought about my younger brother, it could be useful as he deals in consultations and estimates. Then I heard from him that, a few days before, his own had broken, so mine arrived just at the right moment!
In the end the presents were ready. A personal note was added to the gift, thanking each person for what they meant to me. It was nice, they were very happy!
I thought I would go to the Christmas party empty-handed, but Someone thought to find me a gift for each one.
collected by Gustavo E. Clariá
Creo que solo a Urs le suceden estas cosas tan maravillosas. Y se las merece a todas y muchas más, ya que es un ángel sin alas en esta tierra. Marcó mi vida con SU testimonio de vida, en un antes y un después. Alabo al Señor por ello. Amén
Esperienza forte, tanto spesso è capitato che nel periodo delle festività natalizie mi arrabattassi per trovare il modo d’acquistare un bel regalo per ciascuno, senza badare troppo agli sprechi e al prezzo. Quest’anno anch’io proverò a lasciarmi guidare maggiormente da Dio nella ricerca dei regali natalizi. Sono certo che mi aiuterà a trovare dei bei regali alla portata di portafoglio!
Dios siempre está presente, lo que sucede es que nos hacemos los ciegos.
Hay un dicho católico que no está escrito textualmente en la Biblia pero en muchos párrafos lo dice implícitamente es: “Ayudate que yo te ayudare”. Si hacemos las cosas sin buscar una recompensa y de corazón el señor nos recompensará.