12 Pearls of Christmas | Day 3 - Who is Mr. Carbunkle? by Debora M. Coty

12 Pearls of Christmas | Day 3 

 Who is Mr. Carbunkle? by Debora M. Coty

In  a  dream  this  November,  I  was  playing  Clue  (remember  that  board   game   from   your childhood?) with three friendly strangers. We were each moving our pieces from room to room in the mysterious mansion trying to figure out who-done-it.

So far we knew it wasn’t Miss Scarlet in the parlor with a candlestick . . . or Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with a wrench.

With a voice bursting with sudden enlightenment, the player to my right  announced,  “Why,  it’s Mr. Carbunkle!*”

My other two opponents and I looked at one another in bewilderment. Everyone knew there was no such character in this game.

It seemed my lot to state the obvious. “Who is Mr. Carbunkle?”

The words continued to ring in my head as I sat  straight  up  in  bed.  I  must  have  spoken  the question aloud to jerk me awake so.

Who is Mr. Carbunkle? 

And then I knew. I knew just as surely as if the Almighty had sent me an e-mail titled, “Hey, Deb, here’s your answer.”

I had been praying for several weeks about how Papa God would like me to use my writing tithe this year. It’s been my custom, for the nine years I’ve written  professionally,  to  give  away  each December (anonymously, if possible) ten percent of that year’s income from my writing  ministry to someone the Lord designates.

The sum isn’t really all that  much  in the  grand  scheme  of  things  (contrary  to  popular  belief, Christian writers don’t get  rich),  but  it’s  enough  to  bless  somebody  in  their  celebration  of Christ’s birth with the knowledge that their Heavenly Father  knows  about  their  needs . . .  and cares.

I  thought  about  the  only  Mr. Carbunkle  I  knew— the  one  who  attends  our  church,  a  quiet, unassuming man who’d been out of work for more than a year. I confess that  I  knew  about  his plight but hadn’t really given it much thought—or prayer—lately. Although he never complained, I knew his family must be struggling.

So Mr. Carbunkle it is.

You know, there are  lots  of  Mr.  Carbunkles  out  there  who  would  be  blessed  mightily  by  a love-gift from you this Christmas. It doesn’t have to be money; it could be help with yard work, or home repairs, or a loaf of banana bread, or best of all, a gift of your time. Thirty minutes  of  your undivided attention for a lonely soul who needs to know Papa God knows  his  or  her  needs … and cares.
Who is your Mr. Carbunkle?

Don’t have a Clue? I know someone who does. Just ask Him.

*Name changed for privacy

***
Debora Coty is an occupational therapist, a piano teacher, and a freelance writer.  She's also involved in the children's ministry at her church and is  an  avid  tennis  player.  Debora  began writing to fill the void when her last child left for college, and  it  has  since  become  a  passion. Debora  has  a  real  knack  for  getting  across  sound  biblical  concepts   with   a   refreshing lightheartedness as attested in her monthly newspaper column  entitled  "Grace  Notes:  God's Grace for Everyday Living." Look for Fear, Faith and a Fist  Full  of  Chocolate  in  February  of 2013.