"Once upon a time there was a little girl who was different from other children. She was made fun of for her clothes, made fun of for her weight, made fun of because her family didn't have much money. All the kids laughed at her and made fun of her behind her back. When she was a little older, they teased her to her face. What the children didn't know was that she had a terrible life at home, and school was where she could go to get away from that; but things away from home were just as bad.
When she was in high school, she had only a few friends, and they were just as much of an outcast as she was. They didn't really like each other, but they knew they had to stick together. The girl was depressed because she was still different, and didn't know how to break away from that. She was bright, and really, she could have been pretty, but no one showed her how to do her hair or make up, or how to dress nice.
One day, right before Christmas, she was so depressed she thought of taking her own life. And something magical happened. She heard God's voice. She heard His voice in her heart, and it said to not be discouraged; she had a purpose on this earth. That He would not have put her there if it wasn't for a reason. He told her to be strong, have faith, and that everything would work out. He made her in His image, and to Him, she was perfect.
That day, that girl's life was turned around. She waited until after Christmas, and she left. She left that mean old home, and she got a job at a little restaurant, and the owners let her live with them. The woman was nice, and she taught the girl how to put on make up, how to dress to make herself look nice, and took her to get her first real hair cut. The little 'family' attended church each Sunday, and each day, under the loving care of the couple, the girl grew brighter. She was even pretty. She came out of her shell, and she blossomed, like the ugly duckling turning into the beautiful swan.
You know the story of Rudolph, right? He got made fun of because of his red nose. He was a miserable little reindeer, wasn't he? That little girl always loved that song, because she felt like she had something in common with the little deer. Santa didn't make fun of him. Oh no. Santa needed him, didn't he? He saw Rudolph the way that God sees us, through the eyes of love. And really, that's what Christmas is about. Love."
"Is that story about you, Miss Eve?" A voice asked.
"Yes it is." Eve smiled.
"Wow. I didn't know you had such a hard time. You're so pretty!" Another voice said.
"Thank you. True beauty is on the inside, and so many times people don't take the time to get to know someone's insides. It's very important to practice love and tolerance. You can't be mean and hateful to someone because they are different. That's a very important lesson that everyone needs to learn." Eve stood, and her high heels clacked on the wood floor as she went to the chalkboard.
"What's our homework?" Another voice asked.
"You are to do a good deed a day until next week. I would like for everyone to keep a journal of sorts, where you outline the situation and what it was you did for the person. It can be the same person, or different people. Then I want you to write how it made you feel to do something nice."
The buzzer went off, signaling the end of Sunday school and study group.
"You guys have a great week, and I'll see you all same time, same place next Sunday!"
A chorus of 'You too's drifted from the study group as the children exited the room. Eve breathed a sigh of relief. She loved helping out at the church, she truly did, but Christmas was always a bittersweet time for her. Only one week left. Next Sunday was the day after Christmas, then they could move on with the rest of the year.
Eve smoothed her blouse and fluffed her dark hair away from her face as she straightened up the room, putting her supplies back in the storage tote. She usually stayed for the service, but she needed to get shopping done since she wouldn't have much time through the week.
She flipped off the lights and hefted the tote and made her way up the stairs. The pastor's voice traveled easily, and she listened for a moment at the top of the steps. She really did hate to miss it. With a sigh, she shouldered the door open and crunched her way across the gravel parking lot.
The rest of the day passed slowly. Eve pretty much finished off her shopping, and she had grabbed a bite to eat at a fast food drive thru. For some reason, her heart just wasn't in it much this year. She was in a funk. She needed to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas for herself, not just teach it on Sundays. But how? Short of a visit from the spirits of Christmas past, she was out of ideas.
Her phone started ringing in her purse, and she reached over and dug it out. It was Joel, her boyfriend of a little less than a year.
"Hello."
"Hi beautiful. How was your day?"
"Got my shopping done for the most part. Heading home now. How was yours?"
Joel was active in the church also- he held a men's group meeting two nights a week. So he had spent most of his day at the church since the men's group met an hour before evening service on Sundays.
Joel began rattling on about the wonder of Christmas time and how it brings out the best in people. The aura of giving that surrounds most people; the breath of good cheer, the words of kindness on everyone's lips. Then he said something Eve thought to be pretty profound.
"I think a man is, at Christmastime, what God meant for man to be all year long."
"Joel, I think you're absolutely right. It sounds like you had a good day. I'm sorry to have had to miss it." Eve thought that maybe she should have spent some time with God today. Maybe He would give her some answers. But it seemed Joel was speaking what she needed to hear... so maybe God was using him as a messenger.
"We missed you. But I'm happy to report that your kids ran around trying to do good deeds for people. One in particular that isn't even in your class," Joel chuckled. "You're doing something right in that basement."
That did bring a smile to Eve's face.
"Oh, I'm so glad. I just want them to have a.. well, a sort of respect for the season. I hope I'm being effective."
"Honey, I think what you're teaching them will far surpass just doing good at Christmastime."
"I hope so. Joel, do you want to come over for dinner?"
"I'd love to. When will you be home?"
"I'm about five minutes away right now. If you want, you can come now and help me carry stuff in. But no peeking!" Eve laughed.
"I can't promise that, but I will come help. See you soon, sweetheart."
They hung up, and Eve felt much lighter in her soul. Joel was good for her- she knew that. He could brighten her day without lifting a finger. They were pretty serious, but true to their religious outlook, they hadn't slept together yet. He'd never even spent the night at her house. Eve was struggling with that a little. They were true to each other, they loved each other, but they weren't married so that made sex wrong. Eve couldn't wrap her mind around that. She had been getting the feeling lately that Joel was thinking along that same lines as she was, but she couldn't be sure. It wasn't really something they talked about.
Maybe that was part of her funk. She craved closeness and intimacy with another person, but she had been taught for years it was 'wrong'. She wasn't a virgin, but she didn't have much experience either. But before she hadn't been in love; it was literally just sex, and it hadn't lasted long. And on the flipside of craving intimacy, she was waging a battle in her head with God and right and wrong.
She gave her head a shake to clear it as she turned into her driveway. Joel was already there, leaning against the side of his car. Immediately her cares were washed away, and a smile graced her lips. Everything would work itself out. She knew it.
