In the Fullness of Time

 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. ⁵ God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  Galatians 4:4-5

Yesterday was the final day of Shoebox Collection Week for Operation Christmas Child. And although collecting the boxes are over, as it’s been said the gift goes on way beyond Christmas. We hope that many of the boxes get delivered by Christmas, however some take a long time to reach their destination, others are held up because of wars and conflicts. But every box gets delivered to the right child at the right time.

One such time was after the Russian invasion of Ukraine republic of Crimea. During the winter, so many homes and buildings were destroyed or made unlivable, people lived together wherever they could to stay warm and safe. One of those places was in a church. Operation Christmas Child had delivered shoeboxes to the church, but never were able to give them out to the children. However, now they were forced to hide in the church for safety and trying to keep the children entertained and quiet was becoming more and more difficult.

Then someone remembered the boxes and they handed them out. As each child opened their box, they found just what they needed for each child to keep them content. Some had school supplies, others had games and stuffed animals, still others had wash clothes and toothbrushes. The children began to share their treasures and found joy in the midst of confusion and fear. And they had enough boxes for every child  that found refuge there.

Those boxes may not have been given out and opened on Christmas, but they were given out at just the right time to literally save lives both physically and spiritually. Many of the families gave their lives to Christ from hearing the Greatest Journey that were in some of the boxes. God always knows when to show up. So if you are facing something that you know needs to change, but it hasn’t yet. Continue to pray, read your Bible and have patience in waiting, for at the right time the answer will come not only for you, but so others will know the goodness of God.