Monday morning I got a phone call that I’d been expecting for a few weeks

One that made me very excited

my Christmas box had arrived!!

once a year I bring in items from the States during Christmas when it is cheaper to clear boxes from customs. These are things that I either can’t get here,or they are too expensive to purchase in SVG.

I excitedly drove to the customs port and once my box was located, an officer began to examine the items in my box. This helps them understand how much to charge me before the box itself is cleared.

The worker began pulling out very large containers of Folgers coffee, and she looked at me.

I knew what she was thinking……

The officer wondered if I was going to sell those containers here for a nice profit.

“Oh no!” I told her, “I am going to drink all of that!” She turned to the worker and said “it’s okay” so he began to tape the box shut.

An hour later I was unpacking my treasures (you can see my dog inspecting in the pic above.

That Christmas box reminds me every year of an important truth….

It’s okay to have nice things.

The Christian life (ministry especially) involves lots of hard work and sacrifice. I’ve also found it means living simply (frugally) so that you can help others.

People in the community know that I can be counted on to help purchase medication, school supplies, or a bag of bread.

But sometimes you need to take care of John.

Greedily hoarding everything in my house is a sin

But never caring for myself so that I suffer physically, mentally, and emotionally is a sin as well!

So I open my Christmas box

Brew some good coffee

eat an Oreo cookie or two (okay I eat the whole pack)

And thank God while taking care of everyone else, he also allows me to care for myself.