Christmas Gloves
A couple of Christmases ago, I read about a successful businessman who was giving away winter gloves on a New York City street corner to people who had none.
"Why?" he was asked.
"I do this every Christmas," he explained, "because there was a time many years ago when I was very poor and could not afford to buy a pair. I remember how cold my hands got and how much I envied people who had gloves.
Our needs should sensitize us to others who have needs. A person who has known hunger can identify with another who has gone without food. A prisoner knows what it is for another to love his freedom. A person who has been bedridden understands how lonely and depressing it can be for another to be hospitalized or shut-in with illness.
The problem is that sometimes we forget. That's the inspiring aspect about the story of the man who gives away gloves at Christmas. He remembers.
Whether you can identify with another's problem or not, there is something all of us need to remember at Christmas and all the days of the year. That is that we are our brothers' keepers (Gen. 4:9) and when we minister to others, we become ministers of God.
"Why?" he was asked.
"I do this every Christmas," he explained, "because there was a time many years ago when I was very poor and could not afford to buy a pair. I remember how cold my hands got and how much I envied people who had gloves.
Our needs should sensitize us to others who have needs. A person who has known hunger can identify with another who has gone without food. A prisoner knows what it is for another to love his freedom. A person who has been bedridden understands how lonely and depressing it can be for another to be hospitalized or shut-in with illness.
The problem is that sometimes we forget. That's the inspiring aspect about the story of the man who gives away gloves at Christmas. He remembers.
Whether you can identify with another's problem or not, there is something all of us need to remember at Christmas and all the days of the year. That is that we are our brothers' keepers (Gen. 4:9) and when we minister to others, we become ministers of God.
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