Day 16...

I found this book the other day in my classroom--I don't know where it came from, but read it to my students before reading it myself.  Now, I try not to do that because I have had bad experiences in the past with that...reading The Little Match Girl to preschoolers and having to have a conversation afterward about death is not particularly wise.

But, I took a chance.  In the book, Ameer is the main character.  His best friend and companion is Ra, a dog he saved from drowning with the other runts of other litters.  He is traveling in a large caravan with the three wise men, or kings, leading the caravan to go see the King, Jesus.  While traveling, every person is gathering his or her best to present to the King.  Ameer feels at a loss because he has nothing...he is poor...he is at the back of the caravan, and he has nothing to offer.  When they arrive, he is surprised to be in Bethlehem, a bustling city that is not likely for a King.  Then they approach the place where they will find Jesus and he stands in awe that the King is in such a dirty, un-kingly (yes, I made that up) place.  He goes to the back of the line and doesn't want to see the King because he is shamed that he has nothing to present...But, he gets pushed into the line because of all of the chaos.  So, as he enters, he describes Joseph and Mary as "a man and woman in peasant clothing."  He falls to his knees at the sight of the baby with his parents.  And in that moment, he decides to give all he has to this baby King...he gives them Ra, his only possession.  Mary tells him that it is the most precious gift they have received because he gave all he had. 

I hope that I grasp this small, yet profound truth---that giving is better than receiving.  And if we give all we have, we will receive so much more in return.  Why can't we let go?

A few years ago, I was living in Chicago...we lived on the top floor of a two-story flat...below us lived two sister and their kids.  I will never forget this---one day, one of the sisters stopped me outside of the apartment, on the sidewalk, and said, "I've been meaning to tell you, we have some extra money on our food stamps card, so if y'all ever need it, just let me know."  I almost started crying right there...it seems small, but was huge to us that she cared enough for us to share what she had.

Give.  God started a long time ago...and hasn't stopped.  Why have we?