A Different Kind of Christmas
by Sharon Jaynes
"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure,
pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.
For with the measure you use, it will be measure to you." --Luke 6:38
Friend to Friend
Of all the Christmases that Mike Wekall remembers, his
seventh stands out from all the rest. Mike was the fifth of six Wekall
children. Like every child, Mike met December with the anticipation of new
toys, freshly baked goodies, glittering decorations, and school vacation. But
one week before Christmas, Mike’s parents called the children into the den.
"Kids, I’ve have some bad news for you," Mr.
Wekall said, barely able to look his children in the eye. "As you know,
things have been pretty tight at work this year. In fact, we are going to have
to file bankruptcy, so we won’t have Christmas this year. I’m sorry. Maybe we
can make it up to you next year." Then he quietly walked out of the room.
The children just sat there for a while in silence. Mike
thought to himself, "What does he mean 'we won’t have Christmas'? Does
that mean I’ve been bad and Santa isn’t going to come? And what is
bankruptcy?"
It was a confusing time for little Mike, but one thing
became perfectly clear on Christmas morning--Christmas had not come to the
Wekall house. No presents were under a tree, and the aroma of a roasting turkey
did not come from the kitchen. The family did, however, go off to church that
crisp, cold morning. When they arrived at church, all the other children were
sporting new clothes and chattering about what they had found under their
trees.
"Hey, Mike, what’d you get?" one asked.
“Nothin'. We didn’t have Christmas at our house. We’re
having a bankruptcy."
"What's wrong? Have you been too bad to get
anything? Didn’t you even get a few switches?"
Feeling rather blue, the family of eight went home for a
lunch of lima beans and hamhocs. About an hour later, the door bell rang.
"Maybe it is Santa after all," Mike thought as he ran to the door.
Standing in the doorway wasn’t Santa, but it was the
Bosky family, all ten of them. Each of the eight children had smiles on their
faces and two gifts in their hands. Mr. and Mrs. Bosky held a turkey dinner
with all the trimmings.
As it turned out, the eight Bosky children went home from
church and told their parents about how the Wekalls weren’t having Christmas
this year. Seeing how they had been so richly blessed, the children decided to
pick two of their toys and wrap them up for the Wekalls. Mom and Dad joined in
and brought gifts for the parents. Even though Mrs. Bosky had Christmas dinner
all choreographed for her own dining room, she gathered up the food in boxes
and baskets to share with a family who needed it more.
That was over forty years ago, but Mike still gets tears
in his eyes when he shares this story. "It was the best Christmas I have
ever had," he told me. "The Spirit of God showed me that Christmas
wasn’t about getting presents but about giving and caring for others. It is
about showing goodness toward other people. Every year, I tell this story to
someone, because it exemplifies how Christ gave so freely of Himself for
us."
Let's Pray:
Dear Lord, I have so much and I am surrounded by people
who have so little. Show me someone I can help this Christmas. Open the eyes of
my heart to see the needs of others. Make me an extension of Your lavish love.
In Jesus' Name, amen
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