The Greatest Gift
"Oh, Emma, look at this necklace! Isn't it beautiful?" 25-year-old Hannah said excitedly to her friend as they perused the various booths of street vendors speckling the busy sidewalks of New York City. They were here on their Christmas vacation, ready to spend as much money as they possibly could.
"Wow, that's gorgeous!" Emma replied in agreement, her eyes practically glazing over in delight. "I'm telling you, this is the life! Shopping, shopping, and...oh -- shopping!" They both laughed lightly. "I'm so glad we saved enough so that we could really splurge on this trip. It's been forever since I did anything like this for myself," Hannah remarked. "I know," replied Emma, "me, too."
"Whew -- it's cold, though. Next time we should schedule a Spring or Summer trip," Hannah said through chattering teeth as an icy wind burst through the wintry air. Both Emma and Hannah pulled their warm wool coats a bit tighter around themselves.
Hannah and Emma continued down the sidewalk, and as they approached the next intersection, Emma tapped Hannah on the arm. "Look over there, Hannah -- do you see that man sitting on the ground?"
Hannah looked in the direction Emma was pointing. There, about 15 feet away on the ground was an elderly man sitting on the sidewalk, his legs drawn up tightly to his chest. He was wearing a tattered old blue coat and blue jeans littered with rips and holes. His head was drawn downward into his chest, and he was rocking slowly back and forth. It was painfully obvious that he was freezing. Hannah's eyes immediately filled with tears, and she was moved with compassion. "Let's go and talk to him--see if we can do something." Emma nodded in silence, and they approached the man.
"Sir?" Hannah said as she gently touched the man on the shoulder. He jumped, startled. "Yes ma'am?" he answered, barely able to speak for the chattering of the few teeth he had left in his mouth.
"I'm Hannah, and this is Emma. What's your name?"
"Ed."
"Well, Ed, Emma and I would like to help you out if we can. Would you like to come and have lunch with us? It's our treat." Hannah and Emma reached out their hands to help him up. With no hesitation whatsoever, Ed feebly took their hands and stumbled to his feet.
That afternoon, over a large New York-style pizza, Hannah and Emma learned that Ed had lost his job just months before, and had been evicted from his apartment as a result. Having no relatives and no other place to go, he had been forced to live on the streets, begging for spare change and digging through trash cans for food. Now it was winter, and Ed was worried about surviving the harsh, bitter season.
Both Hannah and Emma were brought to tears as they listened to Ed tell his story. As he hungrily finished his lunch, Emma leaned over and whispered something into Hannah's ear. Hannah nodded at her.
After lunch, the two young ladies took Ed to a large department store in the city, where they told him to pick out clothes for a job interview, a coat, scarf, earmuffs, hat, and anything else he needed. After they had finished shopping, they took Ed to a small hotel just outside the city and paid for him to stay there for the next month. As they walked with Ed to his room, Hannah said to him, "Now you can go out this week and find a job--you've got plenty of experience, so you shouldn't have any trouble. By the time the month is up, you should have enough saved to get a modest apartment."
Now it was Ed's turn to be moved to tears. "Hannah, Emma -- I just don't know how to thank you, or how to repay you. This is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me."
"Ed, this is the kindness of Jesus through us," Emma explained, smiling. "There's nothing good about me or Hannah--Jesus put it on our hearts to do this for you. Do you know Jesus?"
Ed shook his head, tears streaming down his wrinkled, haggard face. Emma took his hands into hers and said, "Let us tell you about Him."

This is a story of self-sacrifice. Hannah and Emma gave up their big shopping spree in New York City to help a man they didn't even know. How many of us would be willing to do that? Jesus sacrificed his time, his energy, and ultimately his life for us. If we are to live as He did, we must be willing to do the same for others.

Will you take on the challenge? Throughout the holiday season, be intentional about looking for ways to sacrifice your own comforts and wishes for the needs of others. Try spending less on Christmas gifts and other unnecessary items, and give more to people in need. As you begin to do so, you will also discover more and more opportunities to witness to others and share the love of Jesus.