Penny Thoughts: What’s in a Gift?

Those who know me well know that this is my favorite time of the year – Christmas! It is that time when we can take a personal inventory of our intentions, our aspirations, our achievements, and our motivations for that which we do both enthusiastically and even apathetically.

It is perhaps my upbringing by a very loving and capable grandmother from Tennessee who made me memorize John 3:16 before I could speak anything else, which made me see that this was the greatest gift anyone could give. In those twenty-some words a spirit of giving invades the very substance of our souls – or so it should.

And each time I ponder that a Deity loved me so very much that His Son was to be given and sacrificed so that I may enjoy life now and forever more, I am humbled beyond all measure.

Now, I do not profess to be a profound theological scholar or even a minimal theologian for that matter. But this I do know – inasmuch as we have been born in the Image of the Almighty there must be something of that Almighty which extends to my minimal existence, something which allows me to participate in this universe unafraid of the consequences of its dangers, and especially those perpetrated by the human organism. And the reaffirmation of the Love that Almighty God has for me in the act of presenting His Son as a personal sacrifice for my eternal salvation is at once chilling and humbling.

We often jokingly blame the wise men for starting all the gift-giving frenzy during this time of year. After all, it was they who brought the gifts of great value to the birthplace of the declared Son of Man. And to this day, it is their spirit to which we cling in our spirit of giving. At its foundation, the first gift of our faith was the gift of the Blessed Savior.

Where this all leads seems to me to be a real challenge for us today. In my humble vision, the blessings of our lives are an extension of that First Gift and should be present in every gift which we offer others. O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi captures this spirit as does the spirit of giving attached to Temple University and story of the little girl, which goes as follows:

A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was “too crowded.”

“I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.”

For two years she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.

He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there…

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.

When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations Checks came from far and wide.
Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000.00 – a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated.

Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history.

Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, “Acres of Diamonds”.

This is a true story, which prompts the question, “What’s in a gift?”

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of The West Alabama Watchman.