I watched a sweet story this morning with tears in my
eyes. 30 years ago a sales rep passed an
11 year old boy on the street. His plea
for some change because he was hungry, made her turn back. She took him to lunch, but didn’t stop there…lunch
became a weekly date, but it didn’t stop there… she invited him to her family
Christmas celebration. Maurice, who had
never experienced Christmas, said the best thing was feeling all the love as he
sat around the table with the family.
Now you can see why I am in tears...Not just because it is a
sweet story, but because I don’t have a similar story. Every year, Steve and I pray and ask God to
show us needs that we can give to, out of our finances. Then we go about our
Christmas celebrations, smugly feeling pretty good about ourselves, guilt over
our pile of presents assuaged. We
jealously guard our time and hearts, reserving both for those special people
called family by birth.
Oh, it is easy to donate money and then get to your
Christmas traditions, but what would happen if I expanded my heart and spent
some of the hoarded time on someone who never had the chance to form a
tradition? Someone who could use a friend or a laugh or a
plate of Christmas cookies after a hot meal…Maybe there is a person just
wishing someone would teach them to play Yatzee, give them a hug and a brightly
wrapped gift…Someone to show them the true meaning of this holiday we call
Christmas.
John 1:14
And the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
In this season we celebrate the birth of a Baby, which is
always a time for joy and celebration.
But of course, this was a special Baby that was born with eternal
purpose. This Baby wasn’t just a gift to
a loving mom and dad but to the whole world.
He didn’t grow up to be a carpenter, selling his wares and donating a
few coins to those less fortunate. No,
Jesus came to give Himself and become a part of our lives…to dwell with us.
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