Oranges in the Stockings

 Good Morning All,

As the ‘lead up’ to Christmas is in full swing, just like most of you, I’m wondering what to get for so-in-so ………. trying to think of what they’d really like. I’m beginning to think teen grandkids are the hardest of the lot.  

Thinking about this, I had a flashback to my daughter’s first Christmas with us.  God led us to her in a lovely Russian orphanage, 3 years old and beyond the age of government support, but with nowhere to go.  She’d been treated well, but as we got to know her, we realised that there had been some ‘scarcities’.  Thankfully they were only material things, like food and clothing; it was obvious that she was much loved, but still she’d had been experiencing an austere life.  

Finally arriving at her new home in Japan, we geared up for Christmas – the first one for 3-year-old Nicki. When Christmas morning arrived, she was absolutely delighted to find the mandarin orange in the top of her stocking.  (I’ll talk more about that next week). She oohed and awed about that for several minutes.  We enjoyed her happiness but soon (as son Nathan was waiting anxiously to ‘get to the good stuff’), suggested that she move on.

She did, but a few minutes later I quietly removed several presents under the tree.  Why? Because she was becoming absolutely overwhelmed.  One mandarin was great, but we watched as her joy began to turn to panic.   She had no idea how to appreciate ALL of this.

We celebrated Christmas, at least the gifts, for several months, only as she could absorb the wonder.

I heard a great testimony the other day from a Chinese woman at our church here.  She shared that she was brought up in far north China.  In winter, the only option for getting clean was to bundle up and walk thru the howling weather to the public bath.  It was just impossible to find the hot water and be warm enough to bathe at home.

One night when our friend was about 10, she was at the bath when a Chinese lady who she didn’t kknow came over to her and without preamble told her that there was a God who had created her and loved her very much.

Even though she was from a loving home, she said that hearing those words gave her a sense of joy and happiness that she had never known.  Up until that moment, the happiest she’d ever felt was getting a little cake on her birthday.

The lady then visited her parents, but they were too committed to making communism work and sent her away. She never saw her or talked to her again.  

Overwhelmed as she was with the knowledge of a Creator who loved her, for many years she’d only had that one statement to cling to. 

My friend had no Bible, knew no Christians, nothing but a promise.  Finally in university she was able to access a Bible and found some Christians.  The rest is just beautiful. 

Now her widowed mother is a Christian, still living in northern China and a member of an underground church!  This girl was also rejoicing that on a recent visit, she was able to secure her mother a government housing apartment that is only one flight of stairs up rather than the FOUR where she’d been living.

Gratitude. Gratitude at Christmas.  We’ve all received the greatest gift of all, Jesus; now let’s focus on the real reason for the season!!  

Let’s take time and think of a time when we really felt real happiness and awe;  bringing  ourselves back to the “Wonder of the Mandarin Orange or the Well-placed Promise.

Enjoy the holidays and we’ll touch base again with you next week, 

Marsha