Monday, January 3, 2011

The Orange

In church, a story was told during the sermon:

There was a young boy. He was living on the streets as an orphan. Eventually, he made it to the orphanage, where he at least had a roof over his head and some food in his stomach. It was nearing Christmas when he arrived at the orphanage. He was told of a benefactor who donated to the orphanage for their Christmas dinner. Normally they ate low-cost, bland meals, but on Christmas, they have a real feast, complete with with a real ham. It was even all-you-can-eat! The boy hadn't even heard that before! The benefactor even donates a brilliant tree for the main hall! They decorate it with dazzling white lights and ornaments. At the end of the night, every boy receives an orange, a rare commodity in these times. Oranges were this boy's favorite foods. He's never had one, but he's smelled them. Once, when he was really daring, he scraped his thumb across an orange when the fruit vendor was in town. That was an amazing day, because he had that amazing smell all day. After hearing about all of the festivities, the boy was starry-eyed. His hopes were high, above the clouds. He couldn't wait.

Christmas day came. They had the meal, he saw the tree, and then it came time for the oranges. The boys lined up, and he was at the end, for he did not know exactly what was going on. As he reached the portly man at the front of the main hall.

"I'm sorry," said the man. "You came after we had our order placed. We don't have one for you."

The boy's heart broke. He simply nodded at the man and turned to walk back to his room. After he rounded the corner to his hall, he broke out in a run, tears streaming down his face.

He got to his room, fell face-down in his bed, and wept. Soon, there was a tap on his shoulder. Afraid to show his tear-stained face, he ignored it, but the tapping got more urgent. He turned and saw his six roommates. Each of them had something in their hands. Lying upon an orange-stained napkin in each boy's hands was a slice of an orange. They each took one slice of their treat for the boy, so he would have a full orange. And then, everything was alright.
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We should treat God's Word like the boys did with the oranges. If we all share just a little bit of it, we can make the world a better place, by glorifying the LORD.

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