A friend of mine named Paul received a new car from his
brother as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve
when Paul came out of his office, one of the kids that
lived in a poor neighborhood nearby was walking around
his shiny new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy looked astounded. "You mean your brother gave it
to you, and it didn't cost you anything? Gosh I wish ..."
He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish.
He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But
what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his
heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother
like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively
added, "Would you like a ride in my new car?"
"Oh, yes, I'd love that!"
After a short ride the poor kid turned, and with his
eyes aglow said,
"Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad
wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could
ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop right where those steps are?" the boy
asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while, Paul heard
him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was
carrying his little polio-crippled brother. He sat down
on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up right
against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like l told you upstairs.
His brother gave it to him for Christmas, and it didn't
cost him a cent, and someday I'm gonna give you one
just like it; then you can see for yourself all the
pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been
trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the little lad into the front
seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed
in beside him and the three of them began a memorable
holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when
He said,