Christmas Eve 2006
On November 29, I was out in the yard raking leaves at 11:00 in the morning. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. The temperature was 75° F. By 3:00 that afternoon, it was 35° F.
Welcome to Wichita Falls and its wacky weather.
About 4:00 that afternoon, I went to a grocery store near my home. Outside the entrance was the familiar red kettle and ringing bell of the Salvation Army. I put some money in the kettle, the man who was ringing the bell thanked me, and I proceeded into the store. As I was walking in, I noticed that he was rubbing his hands together as he bent over slightly. A thought came to me that perhaps he needed some gloves and that I should look for some in the store. After gathering my oh so important other items, I located the selection of gloves in the store. Basically, all the gloves were work-type gloves, but I did find some pretty thick jersey gloves that looked liked they would provide some warmth. I checked the size, because I thought I noticed that the bell ringer had large hands, and I did not want to get gloves that would not fit.
After paying for all my items, I went out the door and right over to the bell ringer. I presented him with the gloves, saying that they might not be the best, but they seemed to be the warmest ones available in the store. He was so happy to get something that might give his hands some warmth. He explained that he had some gloves that his fiancé’s son gave him, but they were too small and he could not wear them. Good thing I got the large size of the gloves, huh?
He thanked me again, and then I went to get a drink out of one of the soft drink machines outside the store. The man walked over to me and asked if he could talk to me for a minute. I said “Sure,” and he proceeded to tell me that he used to be a minister and then he ruined his life because of drug use, but that he had cleaned up and put his life back together. But that’s not the remarkable part of this conversation. He then said, “You might not believe this, but as you were first walking toward the store, I said ‘Lord, if you’re listening, I could sure use some gloves to keep my hands warm.’ And then you gave me these gloves. It’s like my fiancé says, ‘Never leave five minutes before the miracle happens.’”
This is one of the best experiences I have had in a good while. I am not sure that on this blog I have directly said this, but a major basis for my faith is what I have experienced and what I have seen in the experiences of others. I have seen the teachings of Jesus manifest. I have seen them and experienced them in this life, in this time. And every such experience strengthens my faith. This bell ringer telling me that his simple prayer in a time of need was answered is one of those experiences.
This experience reminded me of an important lesson about faith, namely that faith requires patience. To put the matter in the context of what the bell ringer told me, impatience is not part of faith. Being impatient could result in one leaving "five minutes before the miracle happens."
In addition, the fact that his simple prayer was answered by the gloves serves as another good lesson for me, namely that any time I might get a thought that there is something I can do to help somebody, I need to pay attention and act on it. Seeing and feeling this man’s gratitude showed me that acting on such thoughts can be a way to fulfill Jesus’s primary commandments of “love your neighbor as yourself” and “love one another.” And, in case I have not mentioned it expressly, I say now that those commandments are the foundation of my faith.
And what does this have to do with Christmas Eve? Well, it occurred right before the start of Advent, which is the season marking the coming of Christ. Also, on this night began the life that by words and by example taught many lessons, including the ones I experienced thanks to a volunteer Salvation Army bell ringer on a cold November day in Wichita Falls. It seemed to me that a good way to mark the arrival of Jesus would be through a story that exemplifies some of His lessons and commandments.
I hope that everyone can find his or her own story to help us all have hope and to love our neighbors as ourselves. I may be wrong, but that sure seems to be a central part of the Christmas message.
Welcome to Wichita Falls and its wacky weather.
About 4:00 that afternoon, I went to a grocery store near my home. Outside the entrance was the familiar red kettle and ringing bell of the Salvation Army. I put some money in the kettle, the man who was ringing the bell thanked me, and I proceeded into the store. As I was walking in, I noticed that he was rubbing his hands together as he bent over slightly. A thought came to me that perhaps he needed some gloves and that I should look for some in the store. After gathering my oh so important other items, I located the selection of gloves in the store. Basically, all the gloves were work-type gloves, but I did find some pretty thick jersey gloves that looked liked they would provide some warmth. I checked the size, because I thought I noticed that the bell ringer had large hands, and I did not want to get gloves that would not fit.
After paying for all my items, I went out the door and right over to the bell ringer. I presented him with the gloves, saying that they might not be the best, but they seemed to be the warmest ones available in the store. He was so happy to get something that might give his hands some warmth. He explained that he had some gloves that his fiancé’s son gave him, but they were too small and he could not wear them. Good thing I got the large size of the gloves, huh?
He thanked me again, and then I went to get a drink out of one of the soft drink machines outside the store. The man walked over to me and asked if he could talk to me for a minute. I said “Sure,” and he proceeded to tell me that he used to be a minister and then he ruined his life because of drug use, but that he had cleaned up and put his life back together. But that’s not the remarkable part of this conversation. He then said, “You might not believe this, but as you were first walking toward the store, I said ‘Lord, if you’re listening, I could sure use some gloves to keep my hands warm.’ And then you gave me these gloves. It’s like my fiancé says, ‘Never leave five minutes before the miracle happens.’”
This is one of the best experiences I have had in a good while. I am not sure that on this blog I have directly said this, but a major basis for my faith is what I have experienced and what I have seen in the experiences of others. I have seen the teachings of Jesus manifest. I have seen them and experienced them in this life, in this time. And every such experience strengthens my faith. This bell ringer telling me that his simple prayer in a time of need was answered is one of those experiences.
This experience reminded me of an important lesson about faith, namely that faith requires patience. To put the matter in the context of what the bell ringer told me, impatience is not part of faith. Being impatient could result in one leaving "five minutes before the miracle happens."
In addition, the fact that his simple prayer was answered by the gloves serves as another good lesson for me, namely that any time I might get a thought that there is something I can do to help somebody, I need to pay attention and act on it. Seeing and feeling this man’s gratitude showed me that acting on such thoughts can be a way to fulfill Jesus’s primary commandments of “love your neighbor as yourself” and “love one another.” And, in case I have not mentioned it expressly, I say now that those commandments are the foundation of my faith.
And what does this have to do with Christmas Eve? Well, it occurred right before the start of Advent, which is the season marking the coming of Christ. Also, on this night began the life that by words and by example taught many lessons, including the ones I experienced thanks to a volunteer Salvation Army bell ringer on a cold November day in Wichita Falls. It seemed to me that a good way to mark the arrival of Jesus would be through a story that exemplifies some of His lessons and commandments.
I hope that everyone can find his or her own story to help us all have hope and to love our neighbors as ourselves. I may be wrong, but that sure seems to be a central part of the Christmas message.
posted by WCharles @ 12/24/2006 11:50:00 PM
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