Rifle versus Shoes.

 Pa had compassion for those who were genuinely in need. It was from him that I learnt the greatest joy comes from giving, not from receiving. It was Christmas eve 1921. I was 15 years old and sad because there hadn’t been enough money to buy the rifle I’d wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted extra time so we could read the Bible. But he didn’t get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. Soon Pa came back and called me. I was upset, I wasn’t getting a rifle for Christmas and now Pa was dragging me out in the cold. Something was up, but I didn’t know what. Pa pulled the sled in front of the woodshed. Finally I asked Pa what he was doing. He asked, “You been by Widow Jensen’s lately”.Her husband had died a year ago and left her with 3 children. “Yeah” I said. “Why?” “I rode by just today,” Pa said. “Little Jakey was out digging in the wood pile trying to find a few chips. They’re out of wood, Matt.” We loaded the sled high with wood, and Pa got some meat from the smoke house, a sack of flour and a smaller sack in his left hand. ”What’s in the little sack? “ I asked. “Shoes and candy. They’re out of shoes. Little Jacky just had gunny sacks around his feet and it wouldn’t be Christmas without a little candy.” Really, why was he doing any of this? We unloaded the wood at the Jensen house and then took the rest to the door. We knocked, the door opened a crack and a timid voice said, “Who is it?” “Lucas Miles and my son, Matt. Could we come in a bit?” Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in, with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and the children wrapped in another by the fireplace. Widow Jensen lit the lamp. “We brought you a few things, Ma’am,” Pa said after putting down the flour and meat on the table. She opened the sack that had the shoes in it. She took the shoes out one pair at a time, there was a pair for each of them. Tears filled her eyes, and rolled down her cheeks. “We brought a load of wood too, Ma’am,” Pa said. He turned to me asked me to bring in enough to last a while. “Let’s get that fire up and heat this place up.” I wasn’t the same person when I went back out to get the wood. In my mind I kept seeing the children huddled by the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn’t speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy that I’d never known before filled my soul. I’d given at Christmas many times before but never had it made such a difference. Once the fire was going Pa gave each children a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile – she probably hadn’t smiled for some time. “God bless you,” she said. “I know the Lord sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send His angels to spare us.” Tears filled my eyes, remembering all the times Pa had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others, the list was endless. Pa gave each child a big hug and turned to Widow Jensen and said, “The Mrs wants your family to come over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. We’ll be here to get at you about eleven. It will be nice to have some little ones around again.” Widow Jensen nodded and said, ‘Thank you Brother Miles, may the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will.” On the way home I felt a warmth that came from within and I didn’t even notice the cold. Pa turned to me and said, “Matt, I want you to know something. Your Ma and I have been tucking a little money away all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn’t have enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me money squared things up. Your Ma and I were excited because we could get you that rifle. On the way I saw little Jakey out at the wood pile with his feet wrapped in gunnysacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and candy for those little children. I hope you understand.

I understood, very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He’d given me the look on Widow Jensen’s face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Pa had given me much more than a rifle, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

Anonymous

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. Luke 6:38