Child Of God

As the wind howled fiercely
and the earth became white,
I stood with the homeless on Christmas Eve
warming myself over a can of burning trash.

I heard the tinkling of the bell
in front of the old man's store,
as a young girl dressed in red
wished all a very Merry Christmas.

I watched as many passed by
and gave not even a single penny
as they entered the store, and came
back out arms laden with gifts.

A dirty little boy dressed poorly
picked up a package that was dropped,
and returned it only to be told
to take his filthy self away from her.

As he backed away from her
tears welled up in his eyes, and
he stared at the ground hunching
his thin shoulders against the cold.

He suddanly moved to his left
and bent to pick up something that
was shinning brightly from the road
where the snow has turned to gray slush.

He held the nickel under the streetlight,
and brushed the mud and snow from it
as a curious look lit up his face,
giving him an angelic glow.

As a sweet smile spread across his face,
he turned around and headed back
to the old man's store where the
young girl was still ringing her bell.

Wrapping the coin in his small tight fist,
he squeezed his eyes shut real tight,
and if you looked close enough,
you could see his lips moving.

Is he praying for a pair of shoes
for his battered and frozen feet?
Or for a meal and a warm bed?
Or perhaps a place to call home?

Curiousity getting the best of me,
I left my place by the fire to edge
closer to this child so I might hear
exactly what it was he was saying.

I was still standing there in amazement
as he opened his eyes and confidently stepped
forward to put his nickel into the pot for
others to use to better their own lives.

As he turned away and slowly walked
back to the fire to warm himself, he
wore an angelic smile, and his thin
unclad shoulders were no longer hunched.

He had asked God to forgive the mean
lady for what she had said to him,
and asked God to give her a better
day tomorrow then she had today.

What I witnessed that cold Christmas Eve
will always stay in my memories, as a child
who had nothing taught mehow rich you can be
if you have Jesus in your heart.


®© LJR 2003
(All Rights Reserved)