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, a street urchin 'was walking around the
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 urchin 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, "IT IS MORE
BLESSED TO GIVE..."