A very gifted Sunday School teacher came up with an inspired idea to teach her class the importance of giving at Christmas time. I was asked to participate. Mrs. A had carefully thought out her lesson plan so that it would be sure to be a success. She had a box of new candy canes from the store. She made some bookmarks with the story behind the candy cane, then tied it with a ribbon to each of the 14 white and red striped candy canes. She gave the lesson to her one eager student, Tricia (not her real name) since the rest of her students were away that day. While Tricia and I were assembling the candy cane and bookmark, she explained what the candy cane means. I wasn't aware of the legend behind the candy cane. Here it is:
The shape is the same
as the shepherd's staff, signifying the shepherds in the fields who saw the
star the night Jesus was born, and Jesus is the gentle Shepherd of our soul.
Turn it upside down and it is a "J" shape standing for Jesus.
The peppermint
signifies the spice, one of the regal gifts given to Jesus by the wise men.
The red is the
sacrifice of Jesus shedding His blood for us.
The white is
purity, the way He makes our heart clean when we are forgiven of our sins.
So while the service
in our church went on, Mrs. A., Tricia and I went downtown and Mrs. A gave
Tricia the basket of candy canes. We looked for random individuals to give the
candy canes to. We started out in the parking lot of a
large grocery store. With each surprised person we
approached, Tricia explained to him or her that she was learning the true
meaning of Christmas, and that was giving.
Then she handed
them the candy cane. One middle-aged man who looked stressed
and troubled smiled and said to her, "You made my day!"
Who knows what kind
of day many of these people were having, or what kind of struggles they were
battling? Some people tried to give Tricia some
money, but Mrs. A, said no thanks, this is a lesson about giving! We could tell
Tricia was really enjoying herself and she even commented early on how much fun
she was having.
We went back to the
Sunday School room and Mrs. A had one candy cane put aside for Tricia that had
broken, and gave it to her. But by this time, Tricia had experienced the real
joy - and that was in the giving, not so much the receiving.
As for me, something
happened in my heart and the stress of the season seemed to melt away with each
person we met who were surprised by this small act of kindness.
Such a small and
precious act of kindness that has likely changed the life of a little girl, and
certainly touched the heart of everyone who received from her.
Sometimes giving can
seem overwhelming as pressures mount in deciding what to give our loved ones
and friends for Christmas. But I am reminded of this verse in the
Bible:
2 Cor 9:7 Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for
God loveth a cheerful giver.
If we are not
cheerful in the giving, perhaps it is not the right gift to the right person.
Gifts do not have
to be elaborate, for even the smallest kindness to someone not expecting
anything at all can be the greatest gift of all.
