The gift of giving

Sean signed the Christmas card we included in the shoebox, and he was super excited to take his box to the drop-off site.

I've been patiently waiting for Sean to get to a developmental stage for joyful giving. Until now he has still been in that stage of "I want to keep that," so I've waited. I don't think it is a good idea to force kids to give when they don't want to. I think if we model it for them, talk about why it is important, and wait, they will come to it on their own. That is true joyful giving, and that is what I've wanted for him. He has a generous nature, so I knew he would get to this point.

He finally is really starting to get it, so this year I offered to let him pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. I explained what Operation Christmas Child is, and he decided to pack a shoebox.

We talked about where it might go -- some country far away to a little boy just his age who has no home, who has been the victim of war, or other heartache and difficulties. He said he hopes it will go to a child in South America.

We talked about the many children in the world who have never had a toy, and maybe his box would go to a child like this, or who lost all of his toys when his home was destroyed. We talked about how this child might not know Jesus, maybe never heard of him, and I explained that the people who help deliver these boxes to the children also put a little book in the box that tells about Jesus.

Sean was very excited to pack his own box. We had a few things in the closet to put in the box, and then he carefully shopped at Target to fill it. We included a Christmas card with the Nativity scene, and a picture of Sean. On our way to drop it off we stopped for nuggets at McDonald's and he got a toy in the Happy Meal that he already had. He decided to put it in the box too.

He was curious to know where the box would go, who the child was that would receive it. If I had realized I could, I would have filled out the form online to track the box. I think that is a very exciting feature, and we'll do it next year. But I didn't know, so I just said we have to pray about it, and God will make sure that box gets to just the right boy.

It was a wonderful feeling to watch him pack the box, joyfully giving all of these nice little trinkets and candy, most of which he doesn't have. He doesn't need them, of course, but in the past he would have wanted one for himself.

He put it all in the box.

He normally doesn't like his picture taken, but I asked if I could take a picture of him giving his box at the drop-off site. He agreed. When we got there, he started to give the box to the lady working there, and then pulled back and said, "My Mom is going to take a picture." So she suggested he put the shoebox in the big packing box for the photo.

The big smile on his face in the photo is precious to me. He was so happy to give, and it was all on his own. I didn't push, or force, or cajole. It was simply a choice. And to me that is the best way to give.