RICH IS NOT WHAT YOU HAVE

Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against
all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the
abundance of his possessions.' (Luke 12:15, NIV).

Dr. James Moore wrote, 'During World War II, four young
American soldiers who had been on the front lines of battle
for some time, were sent back to a small French village for
a little R & R. When they arrived in the village, they
realized that it was Christmas Eve. They began to discuss
how they would like to spend Christmas. One of the soldiers
said, 'You know, as we were coming into town earlier today,
I noticed an orphanage on the outskirts of the village. Why
don't we go there in the morning and take some Christmas
joy to those children?' The others liked the idea and the
more they talked about it, the more excited they became. So
they went out and bought all kinds of toys, candy,
clothing, food, books, and games. Early the next morning
they showed up at the front door of the orphanage with
wonderful Christmas presents for all the children.

The orphanage director was pleased and all the children
were delighted as they opened their gifts. All the children
that is, except for one little girl who stood quietly off
to the side. She appeared to be 5 or 6 years old and her
face looked very sad. One of the soldiers noticed that she
was not participating, so he asked the orphanage director
about the little girl. 'Bless her heart,' said the
director, 'we just got her last week. Both of her parents
were killed in a car wreck. There was no one to take her
in, so we brought her here.'

The soldier went over to the little girl and gently he
said to her, 'It's Christmas morning and we have wonderful
Christmas presents here: toys, clothes, candy, food, books,
and puzzles. Which would you like? What do you want most
for Christmas?' And the little girl said, 'I want somebody
to hold me.'

Maybe that is the best Christmas gift of all--someone to
hold us. As somebody once put it, 'Rich is not what you
have. It's who you have beside you.' Well, this sacred
season comes along once each year to remind us that 'Love
Came Down At Christmas,' that God is even now reaching out
to us with open arms, and that He wants us to accept His
love and to pass it on to others.