A Brother Like That
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 said.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it
to you and it didnt 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
car?"
"Oh yes, Id love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow
, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of 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
didnt cost him a cent. And some day Im gonna give you
one just like it . . . then you can see for yourself all
the pretty things in the Christmas windows that Ive been
trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of
his car. The shining-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 said: "It is more blessed to give . . . "