Season of miracles: The needy are counting on us

Donna had a job. In fact, she had two. She worked as a nursing assistant during the day and a waitress at night. She did everything she could to keep food in the mouths of her three children.

On a good week, she and the kids would stay with her elderly aunt and cousins, but that was not always a healthy space. On other weeks, they stayed in motels and even slept in the car when necessary.

Some days, all she had to give them was cereal and grits, sacrificing her own portion for her oldest son. By God’s grace, they didn’t seem to understand how hard things were. When she took time to really think about it, she always ended up in tears.

Her saving grace came in knowing that the holidays were right around the corner. She could count on meals for the children and a few days off just to catch her breath. Her ultimate goal: to find a place to call home so that she and her children could have stability.

This is not just Donna’s story. This is our story. It is the story of thousands of working families who struggle right here in Mecklenburg County. Based on the recent reports released by the Housing Advisory Board of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, more than 30,000 people are on the wait list for assistance from the Housing Authority. This means that Donna and people like her will have to either move out of the county or remain in unstable conditions much longer than anyone would desire.

But here’s the thing: Donna believes God will do something miraculous in her life. As she works and does her part to save and ensure safety for her family, she is counting on God to do His part in providing for her needs.

What if God is calling you to be the answer to a prayer like this? What if God planned for the miraculous blessing to come from you? While Charlotte has a high rate of those living in poverty, we also have the highest rate of churches per capita in the nation! This means that while there are many families in need, there are many more who believe in a God who can meet those needs.

With all of this knowledge, I could not help but think about what would happen if all of the believers in Charlotte committed themselves to being used by God to answer someone’s prayer this holiday season. If every Christian made it a point to bless someone else, it could look like miracles in the heart of our city. Perhaps it looks like a warm bed on a cold night, a turkey on someone’s table or an anonymous gift card in someone’s bag.

These little things may not feel like much at first, but they work together for something good. These generous gestures help to ease the burden of people like Donna who often serve our needs. They are our teaching assistants, our security guards, our day care workers, our waiters and waitresses, our maintenance personnel and our pharmacy aids. God has placed people all around us just waiting for an answer to some material prayer.

Before we pass judgment on those in need, we must remember that mysterious Scripture that states, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). When you allow God to use you to bless others, you are ultimately blessing God.

This holiday season, let’s put the Word into practice and be somebody’s miracle. Who knows? With our gestures put together, we just might see blessings falling like snowflakes on Christmas morning.

This story was originally published November 19, 2015 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Season of miracles: The needy are counting on us."