(Ambassador International 2013)
Luke 2:14
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
This
is a story told by my mother to all of her children. This is a story
that helped to make sense why every Christmas we had an orange. And no
other orange would smell as sweet, taste as soothing, and feel as smooth
as that Christmas orange.
~~~~~~~
The Christmas Orange by Betty Sue Tutor
I
grew up in a large family. As a large, poor family we seldom had a
Christmas tree, much less Christmas toys. We waited for Santa Claus, but
usually we got an orange and a note promising presents "next year". The
Christmas that always stood out in my mind was when I was around three
years old.
I
remember waking up on Christmas morning and seeing a lot of cars and
trucks in the yard. We didn't own a vehicle, so even a few cars would
seem like a lot to me back then. We had just moved into the community
and had very few household items. I remember walking into a room that
must have been a living room without furniture, and there were several
people sitting around on the floor with boxes of food, toys, presents,
fruit, and clothes in front of them.
My
mom was sitting in a straight-back chair hold the baby, and someone
asked, "Which one is Betty Sue?" My older sister pushed me towards the
person, but I was reluctant to go as I was a very shy child. My mom
encouraged me to go to them. The person who asked for me showed me a box
with my name on it and said it was for me. The one thing that caught my
eye was an orange. I grabbed the orange and bit into the peeling.
Nothing else mattered but that orange.
The
people who came that Christmas morning were from a local church. And
they had heard of a poor family that had a lot of kids without a
Christmas...and that was the best Christmas I ever had.
This
memory had helped me understand missionaries, missions, and the true
meaning of Christmas. These people were simple ordinary people going
about the Lord's work, and none of them knew the impact they had on my
life nor the influence they had on me as a Christian.
I
shared this memory with my mom and older sister when I was eighteen
years old. They were both surprised I could remember that Christmas,
since I was only three years old. My mom filled me in on the
circumstances: how the church had heard from the farmer, on whose land
we were living, about how we were poor, without food and without winter
clothing. She said she cried that day thanking God for sending those
people to help us and told me to keep this memory, to share it with my
kids...I did, and I have.
Every
Christmas I look forward to my Christmas orange, and every Christmas I
find my orange under the tree, even if I have to put it there myself on
Christmas Eve. A bag of oranges can sit on my counter, but the one that
tastes the best is the one I find under my Christmas tree on Christmas
morning.
Praise
God for ordinary people willing to go about doing the Lord's work, and
thank God for Christmas morning and my Christmas orange.
~~~~~~~
This memory of my mom's happened in 1955. And I still do not tire of reading her words. I am reminded of how in our daily life we touch the lives of others. We may never know it and may never will, but if we live our lives as Christ-centered as possible, then good things will always happen.
I love my Christmas orange and still like to put them under the tree for my family. What about you? Is there a Christmas memory that holds a special place in your memory?
