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Isn't
Valentine's Day great? It's such a wonderful reminder to let people
know how much they mean to us. I enjoy going to our local Hallmark
store, picking out cards to send. However, while it is certainly easier
and quicker to buy them, I kind of miss the times when, as a child in
school, I would make my own valentines. It took a lot of time,
construction paper and glue (not to mention the mess on the kitchen
table), but it was fun. And not only did I make cards, there was always
the shoe box that needed to be decorated to keep the cards I knew I
would surely be receiving.
Which reminds me of a story I'd like to
share with you...
It
seems there was a small boy, probably around 7 years old. His parents
delighted in him and were convinced he was surely the smartest, the most
handsome - oh, yes, the most wonderful - boy in the whole world. His
mother would watch from the living room window every afternoon, waiting
to spy him coming down the sidewalk on his way home from school.
In her mind's eyes, she saw a healthy,
energetic boy, standing straight and tall, surrounded by classmate
friends, all begging him to come to their house to play catch. He would
be chatting away, a mile a minute, in a clear and strong voice.
In reality, she saw only a small, pale
lad, slightly bent and dragging his left leg. Most of the time he was
alone. If there ever were other children around him, it wasn't to ask
him to play. Rather it was to tease him and call him names, uncaring
that his limp, his stuttering words (and slower than average mentality)
were not his fault, but a tragic mistake on the part of a young and
unprepared doctor.
She used to go out and shoo the other
children away, but she eventually came to understand that while she
might be able to spare him a few minutes of humiliation at their hands,
she could not be with him at school where her precious child was the
constant butt of cruel remarks and jokes.
But, just like every other afternoon,
she put on her best "mother" smile, swung open the door, held out her
arms, and embraced the boy as if she hadn't seen him for days, rather
than hours. The routine seldom varied. "How was your day, tiger? Boy,
did I ever miss you! Say, did you grow today? You seem taller!"
And the frail child would beam back and
assure her that, indeed, he was growing - "every day," and would soon be
as tall and strong as his daddy!
For
the most part, when she closed the door, she could almost shut out the
world and pretend that her son had not suffered at the hands of his
schoolmates. She and her husband would devout the rest of the day
making sure he knew how much they loved him and how special he was.
But this afternoon was different. She
could tell it as soon as she opened the door and he came flying into her
arms.
"Mmmmm-mommy! Mommy! Ggggguess what?
Teacher told us to make ccccccards for Valentine's Ddday! She said we
could mmmmmake them for anybody we want to. I-I-I - I'm going to make a
card for everyone in mmmmmy class! Can I start worrrrrrrking on them
tonight? Cccccccan I? Pppppplease Mommy? Please?"
Through
the years since his birth, there had been many times when his mother
thought he could not be hurt any more than he already had been - times
when she didn't think she had any heart left to break either.
But this? "Oh dear God. How can You let this be happening? You know
no one is probably going to make him a card. Jesus, how can I possibly
prepare him for what I know is going to happen?"
However, in spite of her heavy heart,
she looked at his beaming face. "Of course, sweetheart. As soon as
supper is over and I clear the table, you can start. Do you need any
help?"
All
that week, the child gulped down his supper, squirmed in his chair, and
encouraged mommy and daddy to hurry up and eat. The evening was spent
with him cutting and drawing and pasting, proudly displaying the ones he
finished, telling his parents which student would be getting which
card. The cards were far from perfect. Sometimes the heart was more
the shape of a circle. The lace wasn't glued on straight and the
printing was more of a scribble than a recognizable name. But, his
parents had not seen him this excited in such a long time, and in spite
of her great concern, the mother could not bring herself to tell him
that he would probably not be bringing any cards home.
Finally, the day came. The small boy
carefully took each card, gave it one last "look over" and gently laid
them in his school bag. With a quick kiss and hug, the child left his
sanctuary and once more entered the world that neither understood, nor
cared for him.
The
mother had never known such a long day. She could not wait for him to
come home. At the same time, she almost dreaded it. How could she make
up for the rejection he was surely receiving?
Then she saw him. As usual, he was
alone, limping, and quiet. She opened the door, tried several times to
put on her smile, then leaned down to welcome her child into her
arms. She couldn't stop the tears. They seemed to be coming from her
very soul. They blurred her vision and she could not see the look on
his face as she embraced him.
She did not know how long she held him,
but she began to realize he was saying something - over and over. She
strained to hear him.
"Not a one. Not a one."
"Oh Father! Not one? Not even one?
You couldn't have seen that he got at least one card? Help
me! How can I make him understand?"
She took a huge breath and slowly
held her only son away from her. Bracing herself, she looked, as she
had so many other times, into his face expecting to see the same look of
dejection, and hurt, and confusion.
But this afternoon was different!
Instead of the sorrow she had come to see, she saw only a grin that
seemed to reach from ear to ear! Astounded, she said, "What did you
say? I thought I heard you say, 'Not a one'."
"I did, Mommy! Not a one! I made just
the right amount. I didn't forget anyone!"
It wasn't until later that she realized
he hadn't stuttered once.
Not
a one....
Jesus left the sanctuary of Him home in
heaven and entered a world that neither understood, nor cared for him.
Yet, when He had finished His work, He returned to His Father, entered
His embrace and said, "Not a one. I did not forget anyone when I was on
the cross. I took everyone's sins. I died for everyone. Everything I
did, I did for all."
If Jesus said He did it for all, then
that includes you. If you have been rejected and hurt and left out, He
did it for you. If you are physically different from others and are
teased and taunted, He did it for you. If you're not as smart or as
talented as others, you can be certain that He still loves you and is
watching for you and waiting with open arms to embrace you. It doesn't
have to be Valentine's Day. Won't you receive His love for you today?
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