December is always the craziest month with all the Christmas activity. Being in a new place, I thought it’d be simpler this year since our social calendar is practially empty. But I find that I’ve been so driven (obsessed is the word my husband uses) with hanging pictures and curtains that I haven’t taken time out to reflect on the meaning of the season yet.

During our cross-country drive, one of the friends we visited on our farewell tour told us he’s praying that we will find the life God wants us to live in our new town. For months now, we’ve been asking God what He has for us in North Carolina, what our purpose will be here. When we arrived, we did something that’s been a tradition for me for several years now. We walked through each room, praying and dedicating that room, with its unique function, to the Lord. We thanked God once again for the gift of our house and asked Him to make it a haven and a blessing to many more people than just the two of us. We asked Him to show us how He wants us to use it.

One ministry God put on our hearts when we married is to reach out to people who are alone, especially at holidays. Every Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and Christmas, we have our tables filled with international students, single parents, or widows – people who are often overlooked. Because Steve was a single parent and I was single living in foreign lands, our antennae are up to notice people who might be lonely. Already, we know two women here who have lost their husbands within the year. During the Christmas season, we will invite both of these widows to share a meal with us. Meanwhile, we will keep asking God to reveal more and more of His plan for us, the life He wants us to live.