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Over the years I’ve received gifts but it is rare for me to get one and not know who the sender was.

In December 2016, I had an awful Christmas. Our personal family celebration was depressing for me.

After Christmas I got a notice from the post office that there was a package waiting for me with postage due. It was under a dollar and I was intrigued. I went to the post office to pay for the package. It was a standard envelope that had to be hand stamped as there was a bulge in it and no return address. Whoever sent it had failed to realize it would cost more to get it to me.

I got home and eagerly opened this mysterious envelope. Inside was a silver necklace. It contained three pendants, a pearl, a silver circle with an engraved dove, and a larger silver circle with the words “She believed she could so she did.” There was no note. Nothing to identify the sender.

Whoa. First of all, I loved it. I found the words empowering and during that season I needed an infusion of hope. My word for that year had been fearless but I’d still had much fear. This necklace helped me have the courage to do what God led me to do the next year. I was heading into a year where my word for the year would be “hope.”

I wore that necklace all the time. It held no magical powers and to this day, seven-years-later, I still have no clue who sent it. It became a reminder that with God’s power, I could do anything He asked me to. Yes, I know that’s not on the necklace, but self-doubt is often the biggest stumbling block to obedience, isn’t it? It’s not as flawless as when I got it, filled with marks from the wear and tear it has taken, much like me! It still has value and importance.

I’m not saying I wouldn’t have had the courage to do what I needed to do for myself and my children a few months later, but those words were a reassurance that I would be just fine. I had no fear because I believed God was with me – leading, guiding, and providing. Two years later, I had a most wonderful gift of a husband for Christmas and this year we will be celebrating five years together of wonderful Christmases even though life has handed us some difficult challenges along the way.

I have occassionally sent anonymous gifts to someone. One time I got figured out which was disappointing but I understood it was a blessing nonetheless. I’m believing that whoever sent that gift was doing so at God’s leading. It meant more to me after a horrible Christmas as a reminder that God saw my grief and pain and loved me.

As we head into Christmas, the greatest gift wasn’t sent anonymously, although many people failed to recognize the Gift or the Sender. Jesus is the best gift ever!

As you give gifts, remember that sometimes it is the small things, the notes, the time spent over a cup of coffee or a meal, that have the most meaning. This gift was intensely personal and I had not shared with many people just how painfully difficult life was for me at that time. So, whoever sent it, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your gift was a blessing you couldn’t have anticipated. Since I couldn’t thank a human person, I’ve repeatedly thanked God for the gift, the sender, and the hope it gave me in a season of darkness.

Have you ever received a gift, anonymous or not, that helped in a significant way with your walk with God? What was it?