I met RG while I was in high school. He and I were volunteering for a Christmas
ministry that provided toys and clothes to families in need. I would help the parent shop and RG would
help carry their new gifts to the car. I
learned that he was a recovering alcoholic and his past had caused him to have
a strained relationship with this family.
He was probably in 40s, though looked much older. I enjoyed chatting with him and when I
learned that RG had no one to spend Christmas day with, I asked my parents if
he could come to our families’ dinner.
Dad and I picked RG up brought him to our house for our traditional
Christmas day meal. My family members
had wrapped gifts for RG. Gloves, socks,
toboggan, and peanut brittle. Everyone was kind and gracious to him and tried
to make him feel welcome.
About a week after Christmas, RG called and wanted to know
if I could come visit because he had something for me. He handed me a wrapped present with a sticker
on the outside that said Hollifields (which is Jackson County’s local jewelry
store). Oh my! Inside the beautiful package was a 14K gold
ID bracelet with my name engraved. It
was beautiful, but I know RG didn’t have the money to purchase this. I learned a valuable lesson that day, people
need to give.
RG had spent the money from his hard WORK on me because
he wanted to say thank you for my hospitality.
I didn’t want to accept this extravagant gift; I wanted him to eat, not
buy me jewelry. I wanted him to feel loved
and to have someone to share time on Christmas day I did not expect a thank you
present. Yet, it was his way of saying “thank
you.” I learned the best way to honor
his work was to accept the gift, to thank him, and to wear my new bracelet. He was so proud. He wanted to give. He wanted to know that his work meant
something. In turn, he embodied
Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord.”
No comments:
Post a Comment