How God Revealed Himself Through a Fishing Santa Claus

She cradled it to her chest and between 
sobs said, "It's my Santa...my Santa."

Since my last post was about keeping a journal, I thought I’d share an incident I journaled about that illustrates how God revealed Himself through a fishing Santa Claus (pictured to the right).

For the past few weeks, we’ve been grieving the loss of a beloved uncle. We were also next of kin, so we’ve been dealing with much more than just his passing.

Before we left for the memorial, I had searched through Uncle Tom's things for pictures to set out for people to enjoy. As I rummaged through a box, a figurine caught my attention, so I grabbed it and put it inside my tote. When I got to the memorial, there wasn’t a place to display it, so I ended up keeping the doll inside my bag during the service.

Afterward, I was exiting the aisle when I noticed a nursing home resident sitting on the end of the row. She was overcome with emotion, so I stopped to comfort her. She cried out, "He was my Santa Claus and now he's gone. My Santa is gone..."  I knelt down to speak to her and knew in an instant that the figurine inside my tote was meant for her. I gave it to her and she burst into tears. Then she cradled it to her chest and between sobs said, "It's my Santa...my Santa."  

I glanced up at my son, who’d been waiting for me to exit the aisle. His eyes were brimming with tears, as were mine. I waited for her to gather herself, then I tucked the figurine into a pouch that was strapped to her walker, and helped her to her feet. She wheeled back to her room with Santa Claus stowed safely away like a long lost treasure.  

My son and I stared at each other in utter amazement at what we'd just witnessed. God had revealed His Glory and comforted us through that fishing Santa Claus. You see, I had waited until the last minute to find something to bring. My procrastination had added extra stress to an already stressful situation, as we were heading out the door. 

I'd been beating myself up all week about getting something together, but I wasn't ready to sift through Uncle Tom's personal things yet. Looking back, I realize that if I had gone through them any sooner, I probably would have forgotten the doll at home, as I'd been feeling scattered all week. 

I believe the Holy Spirit led me to an impulse decision to take that Santa Claus with me. Another event documented in my journal that illustrates God's perfect timing and care during a time of grief. And that's how God revealed Himself to me and my son, and a grieving nursing home resident, through a fishing Santa Claus.

The older I get, the more I realize that God is always working behind the scenes. Has God revealed Himself to you in a special or unusual way? Please share it with me, as I'd love to hear about it.