The Christmas Gift

The Christmas Gift
Author Unknown

A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from
his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve
when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was
walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this
your car, Mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave
it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..."
He hesitated.

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for.
He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But
what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his
heels.

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother
like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively
he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?"

"Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes
aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front
on my house?"

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the
lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that
he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul
was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two
steps are?" the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard
him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He
was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him
down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up
against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs.
His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't
cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you
one just like it... then you can see for yourself all
the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've
been trying to tell you about."

Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his
car. The shingled-eyed older brother climbed in beside
him and the three of them began a memorable holiday
ride.

That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant
when he had said, "It's more blessed to give...."