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Six year old Olivia sat securely strapped into the back seat of the minivan biting the heads off her animal crackers while listening to her mother’s phone conversation.
“Yes Susan, we are on our way. This will be a very important committee meeting. We will be discussing ways to improve the church’s benevolence program. We didn’t have much input at the last meeting, so I revamped. . .
“Mommy?”
“Not now Olivia, Mommy is talking about important church benevolence business.”
“Mommy?”
“Susan, you’ll have to call me back. –Yes Olivia?”
“What is be. . . benev . . .”
“Olivia, the word is be-nev-o-lence. It means showing kindness to those who are hungry, poor or sick. Do you understand?”
“Yes Mommy”
Content with her mother’s answer, the freckle-faced little girl resumed the beheading of innocent circus animals. Now sitting at a stoplight, she looked out her window and noticed a dirty looking man holding a sign. H-U-N-G-R-Y, she sounded out with her new reading skills. She looked down at her animal crackers.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, Olivia”
“Look at that man. His sign says he is hungry. Can we give him my animal crackers?”
“Honey, we are running late for our church meeting. The shelter will help that man.”
A little further down the road, Olivia began to feel a little hot and sticky in her new winter coat. Her mother insisted that she wear it on such a cold day, but since the van was so nice and warm inside, she decided to take it off. Stopped at a school crosswalk, Olivia pressed her face against the window and studied the parade of children. They were all bundled up in coats, hats and mittens - all except one small girl. Her gaze fell on the little girl whose only protection from the biting wind was a light jacket that seemed about two sizes too small.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, Olivia”
“That little girl looks very cold. Maybe her mommy doesn’t have enough money to buy her a pink coat with a fuzzy hood like mine. Can we give her my coat? I have another one at home.”
“Honey, the school clothing closet can give that little girl a coat. We really can’t be late.”
The stoplight right before the church was in front of the children’s hospital. Olivia had her tonsils removed there last year, so she recognized it easily. While waiting for the light to turn green, she saw a woman sitting on a bench crying.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, Olivia”
“Maybe that mommy’s little boy or girl is sick. Can we go give her a hug?”
“Honey, look the church is right up ahead. The hospital has people that will talk to that lady if she feels sad. Oh, there’s my phone again. Hello – yes Susan, we are pulling into the parking lot. The focus of this meeting will be to discuss how we as Christians can best show the love of Christ to those less fortunate.”
Olivia thought about her mother’s explanation of benevolence and how Christians should show love. She thought about the hungry man, the poor little girl and the sad mommy with the sick child.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, Olivia”
“Are you a Christian?”
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.
I John 3:18 (NIV)
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