I saw a post on social media last week that really made me stop and think. The post was about “adopting” kids at Christmas. It pointed out that we get the kids’ little wish lists, then we complain because a child “dared” to ask for something big and expensive. I mean, they should just be glad to be getting the gifts we are buying, right?
I’ll be honest, I was humbled. I love adopting a child at Christmas. However, I have been guilty of going to Walmart or the local dollar store with their little lists and then filling it with the cheaper, generic versions. Or better yet, what I think they need. Usually this is because I’ve been so busy, I waited until the last minute and had to throw it together. But then, a big check mark for me! I did my good deed for the Season.
Let’s walk this out together though... a child whose wish list was placed on a giving tree is generally a child who doesn’t have a lot. That child may never realize that the one buying the gifts under their Christmas tree this year has never even met them. All they know is that it is that magical time of year when the whole world sings of Jesus’ birthday and Santa Claus coming to town, and they are HOPEFUL. They hope this is the year that their shoes are as nice as their friends are. They hope that they get that magical toy that has brought so much fun into the lives of their buddy. They hope their momma gets a job or their grandad gets out of the hospital. They hope that Santa also gives their little brother a truck to play with. They aren’t being selfish, or grandiose, or trying to live above their means. They are just children filled with the hope of Christmas.
So, perhaps as we ponder those little lists, we should have our hearts (and to the extent that we can, our pocketbooks) wide open. Maybe we should go in partnership with a friend to adopt so that for this one day of the year we can give that little one their biggest wish. Might it be torn up by Valentine’s Day? Sure. Might it be sold by someone else? Maybe. But in that moment, the joy of the season will fill that little one right on up. And who knows, it might serve to prove to that child that he or she is well worth it and inspire them to believe in themselves and hope for their future.
This lesson is for me more than for anyone else. Whatever we can do for others is wonderful. We cannot always buy a $500 game console or $200 tennis shoes. That is not the point. The point that was brought home to me was that it is not the size of my pocketbook or the cost of the gift, but rather the condition of my heart while I am giving that matters most.
Amy Hale is a family nurse practitioner at the East Carroll Medical Clinic.
