The long walk

In the midst of shopping, decorating, card writing, cooking and baking … before you get frazzled and frayed in the days leading up to Christmas, I want to share an old story with you…..

Some time ago there was an American missionary living in a very remote, tiny African village. The young woman was a teacher who labored alongside the native people. 

One Christmas Eve a little boy from the missionary’s class proudly brought her a crudely wrapped gift. The teacher was quite surprised. This young boy was very poor. What could he possibly give? The teacher unwrapped the gift and found within the crumpled brown paper a beautiful, exquisite seashell.

The missionary, knowing the only place to find such shells was many rugged miles away, expressed her enthusiastic appreciation.

‘My goodness,’ she told him, ‘you’ve traveled so far to bring me such a wonderful,  lovely present!’

At first the little boy appeared surprised by her reaction, but his eyes quickly brightened and a wide smile crept across his small face. 

‘Oh, teacher,’ he explained, ‘Long walk part of gift.’

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The little boy taught his teacher and reminds us, it’s not the gift that really matters – it’s the effort, thought and love behind the giving of the gift itself.

Written by Jim Daly of Focus on the Family