A young boy was staring at a beautiful Christmas tree displayed in the department store window. His clothes were tattered and torn, his shoes were too small for his feet, and his ragged tee shirt was hardly enough to keep him warm from the winter's chill. It was shivering cold, yet he seemed transfixed on the twinkling lights in the department store window.
A businessman who happened to be passing by, noticed the child standing alone and felt compelled to stop. He reached in his pocket to give him his spare change, but in his heart he knew that was not sufficient for the boy's needs. Then he saw his reflection in the window, it was towering over the young lad and he felt inspired to a new depth of compassion.
“That's a beautiful Christmas tree they have there. I would be willing to bet there's a gift or two underneath that tree for you!” He said to the young lad.
The boy looked up at the man without saying a word, and then with a somber face, he looked back to the lights flickering on the tree. The man took the young boy by the hand and together they walked into the department store. They picked out a warm coat, a package of socks, a pair of shoes and snow boots. The child's eyes sparkled when he tried on his boots for the first time and he beamed with pride as he zipped his new parka up around his neck.
When they walked out of the store together, the boy looked up into the man's face.
"Are you Jesus?" The young lad said in awe.
The man's heart sunk deep into his chest when he heard the boy's words. He knelt down beside him and responded to this unusual question.
"No, I am not Jesus," he said with a tender reply.
"Are you sure? Cause I was praying for Jesus to come down and you showed up! It's okay to tell me, I won't tell anyone."
The man was overcome with humility; he had been mistaken for others over the years, but never for the Son of God. He could hardly gather the right words to speak.
"I am not Jesus," he went on to say, "but I follow Him and He sent me to answer your prayers."
The young boy wrapped his arms around the stranger's neck and gave him a warm hug, "I bet you're his brother," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes," the man said, "I am His brother."
"I knew it," said the lad, "I could tell that you were somebody really special."
They waved goodbye to each other and parted in opposite directions. The man thought about this magnificent experience. He shuttered to think that he would have missed a beautiful opportunity, if he'd only given the boy the small amount of change in the bottom of his pocket. Instead, he reached deep within his heart and remembered the true identity of his divine worth. All rights reserved, Written by Linda Sumner Urza for One fine day
May we never be over shadowed by the world or forget the true significance of our divine worth. During this Christmas season, let us all remember to reach beyond the small change, to make an even greater change in the world around us. Merry Christmas and much love, Linda
