Loving Thy Neighbor…
Caitlin hardly stopped for breath in between tearing the paper off all thirty-seven
wrapped packages. Today was her fifteenth birthday and she had high
hopes for one special gift in particular—the latest MP3 player on the
market. It all started when Gabby Ross got one in school. She happened
to be the richest kid in town and the snobbiest girl in Caitlin’s class
too. Gabby always managed to buy the hottest new
electronics. And she was ever boasting to the other girls about her
latest things. What was worse, she constantly got her way. And when she
didn’t, she would whine, “What sort of Christians are you?! Aren’t
Christians supposed to share?” But with this MP3 player, Caitlin would
show Gabby who was rich. And no Gabby would get to touch that! But
Caitlin didn’t get her birthday wish. Of course, she didn’t show she
was disappointed to her parents. But as soon as they went back to their
business, she took all her presents to her room and moped alone
upstairs.
After
thinking over her unbearable situation, Caitlin realized that she would
be able to buy an MP3 player after all. A kind relative had given her a
gift card to the electronic store. And with the rest of her money
pooled together, it would just be enough to buy it. Caitlin eagerly
collected her cash. Too bad for Gabby Ross. She would have to boast to
some other “poor” girl from now on.
The
next week on a foggy day after school, Caitlin sped downtown on her
bike to the electronics shop. After clumsily throwing her bike onto a
bike rack, Caitlin skipped up to the store door, and just about
stumbled over a crouched figure by the entry. Looking down, Caitlin saw
a ragged, filthy, miserable looking little girl. The child looked up at
Caitlin with her deep blue eyes.
“Could
you spare a dollar?” she asked timidly. Caitlin tried not to roll her
eyes. She had not come all this way with a fifty dollar gift card, and
four fifty dollar bills to be begged off of by a ratty street urchin.
Plastering a fake smile on her face, Caitlin shook her head and went
inside the store.
Caitlin
couldn’t have been happier with herself. As the cashier counted back
her change, she stared down at the gadget in her hands. “Just see if
you can pick on me now, Gabby.” she thought. As soon as she was done
inside, Caitlin rushed outside, picked up her bike and zoomed down the
street, barely noticing the small creature kneeling beside the door,
head in her arms.
“I’ll go straight to Gabby’s and show her what I’ve got!” said Caitlin to herself as
she turned a corner. When she came to the stoplight though, Caitlin
started hearing her conscience. She remembered Gabby saying, “I thought Christians were supposed to share, Caitlin Kirk! You’re no Christian!” Those words stung her. Was she being a Christian? A Bible verse flashed into her mind. “…and
the second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself.” Caitlin
suddenly felt stupid. Gabby was right. She was no Christian. She had
everything—everything compared to that homeless girl,
but she wouldn’t even give her a dollar. The light turned green. But
Caitlin didn’t go forward she turned around and headed back for the
store.
Coming
back out of the shop, Caitlin looked at the fifty dollar bills in her
hand that she had received when she returned the MP3 player. She knew
what she had to do now. Finding the ragged girl, Caitlin touched her
shoulder. The tear-streaked face looked up at her, black matted hair
spilling over the girl’s arms.
“Listen,”
said Caitlin, “I believe that God tells us we should share with others,
and I wasn’t doing right when I wouldn’t share with you. So, here.”
Caitlin handed her a dollar. “This is for you and…take this too. You
need it more than I do.” She placed a fifty bill in her hand too. The
girl stared at it like it was gold.
She muttered, “Thank you…”
Caitlin smiled and started toward her bike.
“It’s the least I could do,” she said over her shoulder. As she hopped up onto the cycle, the child ran over to her.
“Why
did you do that for me?” she asked slowly. “You said you believe in
God, so I guess you’re a Christian, but… I’m not one. So…why did you do
that?”
The flashbacks came back to Caitlin, “You’re no Christian…” She pushed them out of her head. Gabby was wrong this time.
“No,
I guess you’re not a Christian,” said Caitlin uncertainly, looking at
her feet. Then she looked back up and added more confidently, “But I
am.”
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