My Christmas Lesson

Have you ever felt like you should do something but you didn't do it? A few days ago I was driving by some apartments near my daughter's home and I saw an older woman standing outside. I know this woman but not very well, I've spoken with her maybe half a dozen times and we are friends on Facebook. But she isn't a close friend or anything. When I saw her outside I thought about inviting her to my house for Christmas dinner, I know that it was God prompting me because for one thing the thought came completely out of the blue and unexpectedly and also because the feeling that I should invite her was so strong! In fact I felt so strongly that I should invite her over that I actually made the block and circled back. I told myself or God, whichever that if she was still outside I'd pull over and invite her. Well, she was still outside but I chickened out. I reasoned to myself that 1) I barely knew the woman and it'd be awkward for her and for my family. 2) she probably already had plans. So I drove past a second time and didn't invite her. 

Fast forward to tonight. Christmas night. It's getting late and my house is strewn with wrapping paper and toys, there are unwashed dishes in the sink and I'm trying to motivate myself to get up and straighten my house. Instead I log onto Facebook and I see this woman online. Almost immediately she private messages me saying Merry Christmas and I respond back and ask if she had a nice day. 

The message I received back made me cry, she told me she had spent the day all alone, none of her family called or came to see her. She didn't have Christmas dinner or open any presents and she spent the whole day crying not understanding why everyone had forgotten her on Christmas. And all I could think was that God knew she was going to be all alone and he wanted me to reach out to her and because of my stubbornness and fear and shyness this poor woman spent the day crying and alone. 

I wish I could go back and make things right but I can't. But I can do better in the future and I made a promise to myself that I won't ever let fear or shyness keep me from reaching out to someone again. I made myself another promise too, I won't let this woman spend another holiday alone, not without at least extending an invitation to come spend it with my family. 

I spent almost an hour on Facebook chatting with her and she thanked me for cheering her up but I know that I could have done so much more.