As children begin to play with their toys given to them for Christmas, inevitably many of them will become possessive and not want to share them with their siblings or friends. When this happens, it may be a good time to pull out the following story and read it to them. It was written by Larue Calhoun ten years ago and was included in an Advent devotional guide for Trinity Baptist Church.

Love is more than a feeling. It’s affection, admiration, charity, kindness, caring, sharing, forgiving — and it is never-ending. God is love and love is God. When I was nine years old I learned a very valuable lesson in sharing what you have with others. It was just a few weeks after Christmas and I had gotten a ball and a new set of jackstones.

I was proud of myself because I had managed to keep all ten jacks, which was not an easy task in a small house with five children.

I was at Sunset School and it was recess time. The old Sunset Elementary School entrance had two large concrete slabs on either side of the steps. This was my favorite place to play jacks because the ball bounced so nicely on the concrete.

I was playing jacks all alone when a girl named Bobbie came and began watching me play. After a few minutes she asked if she could play with me. I said “no” and explained that she might lose one of the jacks. She assured me she wouldn’t, but I still said “no.” I knew I didn’t have the money to replace them if some were lost — besides, I was having too much fun by myself to let her play, too. She didn’t ask to play again but she watched me until recess was over.

The next week Bobbie and her family were cleaning their yard. They had raked the leaves in a big pile. We lived in the country and didn’t put our trash out to be picked up. We burned it. We enjoyed burning trash, especially if it was cold. We would poke a stick in the fire to see the sparks fly up in the sky. I don’t know exactly what Bobbie was doing that day but her dress caught on fire. Instead of rolling on the ground to put it out, she ran.

When I heard that she was badly burned and might not live, the first thing I thought about was not letting her play jackstones with me.

I prayed to God that if He’d let her live I would let her play jacks with me whenever she wanted and I would begin to share what I had with others. If only….

I don’t know why, but Bobbie didn’t live. Her grave is across the road from where I now live. God didn’t answer my prayer to let Bobbie live. God did teach me to love my neighbor, to share with others, and to do what’s right.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us when we don’t deserve it. Help us always to show fruits of your spirit. In the Christmas season, let us show our fellow man that we love as God taught us by caring for and sharing with others. May we always remember that the only thing we take with us when we leave this earth are what we give away when we are alive.

Amen.



The Rev. Michael Helms is pastor of Trintiy Baptist Church.