There is a story that comes out of India which tells of a beggar whose great hope was that he would meet the king. Then, he dreamed, alms would be given him unasked and wealth scattered all around him in the dust. One day, the king’s golden chariot came into the village and actually stopped where the beggar stood. The king saw the poor man, got out of the chariot, and walked with a smile toward him.
The beggar was ecstatic. He felt that good fortune had come his way at last. But instead of giving him anything, the king held out his hand and said, “What do you have to give to me?” The beggar was confused and undecided. Then slowly, he took from his loaded knapsack a single grain of wheat and gave it to the king. The king made no move to give him anything in return. Disillusioned and dejected, the beggar walked to his bare room. At day’s end, he emptied his bag on the floor and was surprised to find a single grain of gold among all the other grains of wheat. He wept bitterly and thought: “If only I had the heart to give the king my all.
The beggar found only a single grain of gold in his bag because he had given away only a single grain of wheat. If he had given more, he would have received more.
A few weeks before Christmas – in the midst of money being tight, and the normal Christmas rush and pressure – we have many things to give – Let us not be afraid to give them. How about these:
1. Remember an old friend
2. Call or write to someone who has lost someone through death
3. Give peace
4. Forgive an enemy
5. Set differences aside in our families
6. Give of yourself – a small bit of quality time
7. Perform an act of kindness
8. Offer a few sincere thoughtful words of encouragement and affirmation.
9. Give love
and guess what, Christmas will be forever! Wouldn’t that be great!