This week was my youngest brother Ben's birthday and, while I was writing a birthday message to him, I remembered the instance back in December that not only made me smile but I know must have made Jesus smile, too.
I was at church helping the cast and crew of the Christmas play by painting a town scene for the backdrop of the set. As I stood with my back to the kids (my 4 little siblings included) who had made half of the room their playground while the grown ups rehearsed and worked on more set details, I was privileged to overhear their conversation.
Ben had brought a huge box of his toys (mostly cars) with him and two of his little friends were oohing and aahing over them. "We're collecting old cars," one of them said. I heard them dig through the box and then -CRASH - they dumped them all out on the floor. I kept painting.
"Ooh, this one's cool," the other one said.
"You can have it," Ben replied.
"What about this one?"
"You can have it," Ben said again.
The boys kept pulling out cars and talking about them. Then Ben was asked about another car. His response was slightly different but it melted my heart.
"I love that one...but you can have it." (Italics for emphasis)
To hear a little boy so willing to give away one of his beloved toys so quickly, so easily, and without a second thought is so rare. Usually my ears hear the all too familiar words, "That's mine!" and "No, you can't have that!" Even some grown ups are so selfish and that selfishness is sinful human nature. We are born with it. We don't know how to be loving, how to be selfless, apart from God because God is love.
For Ben to be so selfless with something he loves is of God.
And that, my friends, makes me happier than a smile can express.
1 comment:
I didn't know he did that. Thank you for sharing that story. I think you should find a masculine blank card and write this post out for him. It would be good for him to be reminded of this in keepsake form as he gets older. I'll save it for him in a special place.
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